Stuck With You
by saltpepper
Summary: When Tom Riddle, adopted son of Sirius and Remus, has had his *manliness* questioned by Ron Weasley, only he can make a mess of things and end up binding him & Harry Potter together. AU, slash TR/HP & SB/RL Full summary inside
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the HP world.  
  
Summary: When Tom Riddle, adopted son of Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, has had his *manliness* questioned by Ron Wealsey, the Slytherin heir decides that he will prove himself by casting one of the most powerful spells ever. Only *after* casting the spell, does Tom remember that he doesn't actually *know* what the spell *does*. Of course, the spell *has* to bind him and Harry Potter together. What is Tom to do when it seems that Harry hates him for no apparent reason?  
  
Warning: This story will be SLASH! You don't like it? Then don't read it.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Harry glared at Voldemort, his green eyes burning with more hatred that humanly possible. "You're a monster," he spat at him. "Did you just realise that Mr. Potter?" Voldemort asked cruelly, red eyes gleaming with evil. Harry staggered to his feet and groped for his wand. It was in the tatters that people usually called robes. Finding it, he gripped weakly and pointed it at Voldemort. "Mr. Potter, we can not duel since we have brother wands," Voldemort scolded the seventeen-year-old boy as if he was talking to a five-year-old.  
  
"I know that!" Harry hissed venomously. Voldemort laughed again. "Are you sure Potter?" he sneered. Harry sneered back and stuffed the wand back into his robes. He could feel it now. All the pent up anger, hatred and utter disgust he had for the *it* in front of him. He could feel its murderous waves building up in his chest. He could feel it growing with every breath he took. He could feel other people's anger and loathing joining his. With one last effort, he pushed all the raw, untamed magic through the bond he shared with Voldemort. No words or incantations were needed for the magic. It was clear what Harry wanted to do with it. He could feel it seeping through ever pore in his body towards the figure in front of him. He could *see* it tumbling towards Voldemort like a tidal wave. Voldemort must have felt it as well. He tried in vain, casting shielding spell over shielding spell, but nothing worked. His crimson eyes widen with fear as the wave of pure magic made its way towards him. In a second, the magic descended upon Voldemort. The magic literally ripped his soul apart, leaving nothing but a fine silver dust that was sure his soul, had it been solid. The dust was blown away by the wind, scattering it all over the world to never be pieced together again. All that was left was his body. Well, it was more like an empty shell of flesh and bone and all the other parts of the human body. Harry looked around and swayed dangerously on his feet. He felt faint, but happy. He was completely happy for the first time in years. Slumped over on the ground before him lay the body of Voldemort. It was finally over and Harry had finally done it. He had finally done what he was born to do. He had defeated Voldemort. He had finally avenged Charlie, Sirius, Remus, Ginny, Blaise and countless others who had perished in the war. Well, he thought. That's the end of that chapter. That was the last thought of Harry Potter before he pitched forward in a dead faint.  
  
~~*~~  
  
Tom Riddle's eyes flashed angrily as he tried to glare down Ron Weasley. "I hope you are not implying what I think you are implying Weasley," Tom hissed as Ron smirked. "Riddle, you couldn't cast a spell to save your life," Ron sneered. "It's just dumb luck and the fact that you're the adopted son of Sirius Black and Remus Lupin that you became Head Boy." Tom saw red. He hated it when people say that his achievements were because of who his parents were. Without another word, he picked up his wand and muttered the words to the spell that will change his life forever. "Combiene tue ette moio," Tom hissed and a golden light emitted from his wand. "NO!" Sirius shouted as he recognised the spell. "Tom, you idiot!"  
  
~~*~~  
  
Harry Potter was officially screwed. Cursing under his breath, he wondered how the hell he had gotten himself into his current situation. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Draco smirk. "Dumb blond," he muttered under his breath, before climbing on to the teacher's table to humiliate himself thoroughly.  
  
**Five minutes earlier**  
  
"Come on Potter. Don't tell me you're scared," Draco smirked. Harry rolled his eyes and mock glared at the blond. "Malfoy, leave me alone. I do not want to climb on to the teacher's table and sing some idiotic song that you pulled out of God-knows-where," Harry said, exasperated, for the thousandth time that minute. Draco's smirk increased. "You're scared," he declared. "You defeated the most feared Dark Lord of our time and you're scared of climbing on to a table and singing. Harry growled. "Malfoy, I do not fancy getting up in front of the whole school and making a complete ass of myself." "Come on Potter. You never have fun anymore," Draco said whilst simultaneously giving him the puppy dog eyes. Harry shot him an irritated look. "You know that I can't resist that damn look," Harry huffed, but climbed to his feet. Draco smirked knowingly. "I know," he said smugly, only to be whacked on the head the next second. "Watch the hair!" Harry smirked, but it was wiped off his face as he was pushed towards the teacher's table.  
  
**Now**  
  
Harry took another deep breath as he looked out at the many curious faces that were facing him. Draco snickered quietly, but a glare soon shut him up. Smiling weakly, Harry screwed up his courage and opened his mouth. Before him could belt out the song, a golden light surrounded him. Draco's shocked face was the last thing he saw before the light blocked his vision.  
  
~~*~~  
  
Tom's head snapped up and he looked straight into the angry face of his adopted father, Sirius. "What?" he asked, his face betraying his confusion. Sirius glared at him, ignoring the looks he was getting from everybody. "You just cast a binding charm. Do you even know what that means?" Sirius hissed. Tom's face paled and he opened his mouth several times, but each time it closed with a snap. "Binding charm?" he asked weakly. Sirius's features softened and he sighed.  
  
"I feel sorry for what ever poor soul you bound to you," he muttered. Tom glared at him. "Gee, thanks so much for your confidence in me," he said sarcastically. Whatever Sirius was about to say was cut off by Dumbledore clearing his throat. "May I ask what just happened?" he enquired, eyes twinkling. Sirius scowled at his son. "Tom decided that it would be fun to cast a binding charm," Sirius said, his eyes showing the worry he had for his son. Dumbledore's eyes sobered and he mentioned for them to go to his office. "We'll figure out what to do," he said gently and the trio walked up to Dumbledore's office.  
  
~~*~~  
  
"Well, the best thing to do is to wait for your partner to show up," Dumbledore said calmly, sipping on his tea. "Wait for her to show up?" Tom asked uncertainly. "Like, by magic?" Sirius snorted softly and Tom shot another glare at him. Dumbledore smiled. "Exactly. By magic," he said. Sirius spat out his tea and doubled over, choking. Tom made no move to help him, but instead shot him a smug look. "Told you," he said and Sirius coughed, before sticking out his tongue at him. "Real mature," Tom said, rolling his eyes. Sirius promptly retorted by sticking out his tongue again. "You might want to talk to Remus about this," Dumbledore suggested. Both of black haired males in front of him nodded and bounded down the stairs to find the werewolf. Dumbledore looked out the window at the blue sky. "Whoever said that your partner was going to be a girl Mr. Riddle?" Dumbledore muttered to himself before chuckling. "This is going to be an interesting day."  
  
~~*~~  
  
Sirius tumbled into the chambers he shared with Remus. The brown haired man glanced up, startled. "Siri-" he was cut off as a pair of lips was planted firmly on to his. "Oh great," a mock exasperated voice sounded from the doorway. "Do I have to stand here and watch you two get it on?" Remus pushed Sirius off him and smiled warmly at the smiling Tom. "Don't worry about the mutt. He hasn't been neutralised yet," Remus said wickedly as Sirius squeaked. Tom fell over laughing as Sirius started attacking Remus with pillows. "You evil, evil git!" Sirius shouted. Remus snickered and turned towards Tom, trying to ward off the attacks. "Now, what brings you here?" he asked. Tom took a deep breath, thanking whatever God was listening that the full moon was about twenty days away. "I kinda, well you see, I, well, thought it would prove to Weasley that I can actually hold my own by casting a, uh, well, um, a, binding charm." Tom's voice had progressively grown softer and squeaker as he forced out his confession. "You did what?!" Remus shouted. Sirius snickered softly behind his hand, shooting Tom an evil look. "And you?!" Remus shouted, rounding on Sirius. Sirius's mouth fell open. "What?" he asked. Remus's eyes grew even stormier. "And where the hell were you when this happened?!" Remus demanded. "You're blaming this on me?!" Sirius squeaked. (A/N: they seem to be squeaking a lot don't they?) "I wasn't even there." Remus glared at the seventeen-year-old boy in front of him who was currently trying to bury himself into the sofa. "Whatever prompted you to cast a charm like that?" Remus asked. Tom shrugged helplessly. "I dunno," he mumbled and immediately saw that he shouldn't have said that. Remus opened his mouth, undoubtedly ready to give one of his famous, lecturing, I-told-you-so speeches. "It was Weasley," Tom blurted out suddenly. Remus huffed. "How many times have we told you to ignore that boy?" he asked pointedly. Tom coughed uncomfortably and suddenly seemed to find the carpet really interesting. How come he had never noticed that there was a brown stain right in front of feet. In fact, if he just tilted his head a little, it looked astonishingly like a picture of a banana. "Tom!" Remus barked and Tom immediately raised his head. "Yes Remus, old buddy, old pal? The person who would never, ever hurt his only son. The person whose son adores him above everything else?" Tom asked meekly. Remus rolled his eyes, but smiled despite himself. "Do you know who the person is?" he asked finally, pushing the sulking Sirius over on the sofa. "Nope. She's going to arrive by magic," Tom said and shot a smug grin at Sirius. Remus raised an eyebrow, but decided not to ask. The last time he gotten in between one of Sirius's and Tom's arguments he had to walk around wearing a tutu that flashed different colours for a week. What Tom had said seemed to annoy Sirius as it caused his sulk to increase and for him to fold his arms, burning a hole into the carpet with the intensity of his glare. Remus nudged him softly. "What's wrong with you?" he asked. Sirius sniffed and turned away. "Why do you always blame me for everything that happens to him?" Sirius whined. Tom rolled his eyes. "Oh brother," he muttered under his breath. Remus sighed and ran his hand through Sirius's hair. "Because I know how protective of him you are and how it's surprising that you allowed something like this to happen," he said softly. Sirius blinked. Whatever answer he had been expecting, it certainly wasn't that. "Oh," he said stupidly. Remus smiled and kissed him softly. "Stupid mutt," he muttered affectionately. Tom got up hastily and edged towards the door, eyeing the two men warily. "I'll just be, uh, somewhere else and doing, uh, bye!" Tom called and hurried out of the room as fast as humanly possible as the two men started to kiss. Not stopping until he rounded a corner and down a flight of steps, Tom bent over and clutched at his chest. It was not that he'd never seen his parents kiss, but it was still, well, *weird*. Suppressing a shudder, Tom put his hands into his pockets and strolled down the hallways and back towards the Great Hall. He needed his stuff for his next lesson.  
  
~~*~~  
  
That night Tom was sitting nervously at the Slytherin table, toying with the food on his plate with his fork. Dumbledore had taken him out of class and said that whilst he didn't know when his partner was coming, it would be soon. Tom had a feeling that she was going to come tonight. How right he was. A golden glow suddenly surrounded the Head Table and the next second a surprised teenage boy stumbled out of it. And unfortunately, straight into a platter of mashed potatoes. Harry gave a shout of surprise as he slipped on the, er, well, slippery potatoes and fell off the table, landing straight into McGonagall's lap. McGonagall gave a little shriek and pushed the dazed and somewhat confused Harry Potter off her. So, in the end, it resulted in a dazed, confused and rather sore Harry Potter lying on the ground, foot covered in mash potatoes. "Hello, my name's Albus Dumbledore. You are?" Dumbledore asked cheerfully. Harry shook his head to clear it and stared up at the old man. "What do you mean who I am? Professor, it's me. Hello! Harry, the Head Boy," Harry said, clambering to his feet. He looked out towards the sea of faces facing him and suddenly felt weak. He gripped the edge of the table tightly and stared around. All the faces were familiar and yet unfamiliar somehow. "What? Where? How? What the bloody hell is going on?" Harry suddenly exploded, startling more than several of the occupants of the hall. "One second I was on the table ready to belt out some stupid song that Malfoy gave me and the next I'm in McG-, er, Professor McGonagall's lap. Professor, what's happening?" Harry asked Dumbledore. Dumbledore regarded him with stern and yet twinkling eyes. "Why don't we continue this conversation upstairs in my office?" Dumbledore asked. Harry shook his head stubbornly. "I am not going anywhere until I know what the hell is going on. I know that once I'm up in your office you'll give me some stupid non-answer that doesn't explain a damn thing," Harry said bluntly. Dumbledore raised an eyebrow and contemplated this in silence. "You've been bound," he told him. Harry's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. "I've been WHAT?!" he shouted, his face paling at an alarming rate. Sirius glanced over at Tom and saw that his face was also quite pale. "Bound," Dumbledore repeated. "Fuck," Harry stated simply, ignoring the stern looks the professors shot him. "To who?" he finally asked. Dumbledore pointed to Tom. The whole hall, as one, turned their heads and stared at their Head Boy. Harry followed the finger and his eyes landed on the boy. Again his eyes widened and his jaw hung slack. "Not bloody possible," he said under his breath. "Not in a million years am I going to get together with that, that....thing!" Harry shouted, stumbling backwards. His eyes burned with loathing and anger at Tom. Tom, for his part, returned the gaze in confusion. What had he done to piss the boy off?  
  
"There has to be a mistake," he said, looking desperately at Dumbledore. "How the hell do I get bound to Tom Fucking Riddle?" Tom's eyes widened. How had the boy known his name? Who the hell was the boy anyway? "Please refrain from using that language," Dumbledore said sternly. Harry turned on him, body tensed. "I will not refrain in the least from using any sort of language. How in Merlin's name do you expect me to get together with a monster like that?! After all his done?! What the hell has gotten into you?" Harry snapped, ignoring the shocked mutters people sent him for talking to Dumbledore like that. Dumbledore looked back at him with calm eyes. "This might be easier to work out if you were to tell me your name," Dumbledore said gently. Harry took a deep breath and glared at the headmaster. "What sort of game are you playing?" he asked harshly. "I reassure you that I do not know your name or who you are," Dumbledore continued with patience. Harry rolled his eyes and took another breath. "Harry Potter. My name is Harry James Potter," he said. There was complete silence throughout the hall. "Liar!" the shout made many people jump and everybody turned to see Sirius Black shaking with barely suppressed rage. Harry's eyes widened and he took a step back. Nonononono, his mind screamed at him. This is not possible. Tom Riddle alive, yes I can handle that. But not Sirius, anyone but Sirius. Before Dumbledore could intervene the doors flew open and a cheerful black haired, blue eyed man stepped into the room. A smile was on his lips and in his eyes. They faded as he saw the tensed and angry atmosphere of the room.  
  
"Er," James Potter started, not sure what to say. Harry's attention snapped towards his father and he paled even more. He backed up until he was against the wall, eyes wide in horror. "No," he whispered. "Not possible." The hall turned their attention back towards the pale and trembling boy that claimed to be Harry Potter. "You see," Dumbledore began, eyes crackling with anger. "You can not be Harry Potter, for he is dead." Harry suddenly snapped back to reality. He stood up tall and ignored the white-as-a-ghost man that had to be his father in front of him. "Then what am I?" Harry sneered. He was sick of this sadistic joke. "A figment of your imagination? The last time I checked, I haven't died and become a ghost." "You're sticking by your story that you're Harry Potter?" Dumbledore asked gravely. Harry threw his hands up and glared at the old man. "It is not a story! It's the truth God damnit! Why won't you believe me? Look at him," Harry said, gesturing at Sirius. "He's walking around as if nothing's happened. I don't see you going up to him and demanding why he's even walking around." "Alright. Come with me to my office and we'll sort this out," Dumbledore said finally. Harry sighed and grumbled under his breath, but followed him anyway. He was too much in shock to argue. He was going to rip the person responsible for this joke limb from limb. And he still had mashed potato on his shoes damnit! As they passed the Slythein table, Dumbledore beckoned for Tom to follow them. Sirius and Remus walked quickly to Tom's side and shot Harry suspicious and angry looks. Great, Harry thought sarcastically. Yeah sure, go and comfort the enemy. Don't at all worry about your own godson. I'm completely fine. After all, I just found out that I'm bound to my parents' murderer and that my dead father, godfather and countless friends are walking around, alive. Everything is just perfect, completely peachy. Grumbling under his breath Harry entered the headmaster's office and sat as far apart from the people in the room as he possibly could. Dumbledore offered the usually things, lemon drops and tea. "Now to get down to business," he said. Harry glared tiredly at the bearded man. There was a knock at the door and a second later it opened. A red headed woman stepped into the room and looked around in confusion. "You wanted me Albus?" Lily Potter asked. In every story somebody has to faint. Of course, in this story, Harry took one look at his mother and his eyes rolled upwards before slipping forward in his chair and dropping into a dead faint.  
  
~~*~~  
  
A/N. My new story folks! Since I can never seem to write long stories, I thought this might help me practise. Please review, all reviews are appreciated. *squeals* I love reviews. *bounces off to eat chocolate* 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Harry Potter does not belong to me. If it did, I wouldn't be broke.  
  
A/N: Thanks for all the reviews. Not sure how many I actually got, but thanks anyway! I love you all  
  
~~*~~  
  
In every story somebody has to faint. Of course, in this story, Harry took one look at his mother and his eyes rolled upwards before slipping forward in his chair and dropping into a dead faint.  
  
~~*~~  
  
Lily jumped backwards and watched as the unfamiliar boy slide forward in his chair and faint.  
  
Did I do that? She thought as she hurried forward and picked him up. She nearly dropped him again when she saw his face. He looked so much like James that it was not funny.  
  
"Who is he?" Lily asked, propping him in his chair, her eyes never leaving his face. Albus sighed and Lily tore her eyes away from the boy to stare at the headmaster.  
  
"He claims to be Harry Potter," he said softly. Lily's eyes widened and looked desperately at her husband. James's lips were pursed and he was glaring at the ground, not sure what to believe.  
  
"James?" Lily asked softly. James looked at her and she saw tears and pain swimming in his eyes.  
  
"If it is Harry, then, that's great, but it's not possible. Our Harry died twelve years ago. But he looks so much like me and he has your eyes and..." James trailed off and he stared out at the ground once again. Lily turned towards Albus.  
  
"Maybe I should explain something first," the old man said gently, directing her towards a chair. Lily nodded numbly and plonked herself in the chair, face devoid of any colour.  
  
"You see, Mr. Riddle was trying to prove himself this afternoon," Dumbledore started. "To do this, he preformed an extremely powerful binding harm. So Mr. Riddle had properly bound himself to somebody. We were not sure of his partner's identity or even the gender of the person. So it was decided that we wait for the arrival of this person. I have a feeling that this is the person we have been waiting for."  
  
The group contemplated this in a stunned silence.  
  
"But sir," Tom spoke out. Dumbledore turned towards him and smiled warmly. "How is it possible? Didn't Harry Potter die when he was five?"  
  
Dumbledore nodded slowly.  
  
"That is true, but I have a feeling that this young man is telling the truth. The spell you cast was very powerful. I suspect that it has pulled this Harry Potter out of his universe to substitute for the Harry Potter that died here. After all, if a binding spell is cast correctly and has enough power, than nothing should stand in the way of soul mates," Dumbledore said, the twinkling returning to his eyes.  
  
"NO!" Lily shouted, jumping to her feet. "I WILL NOT BELIEVE THIS CRAP! I'VE ALREADY LOST MY HARRY AND IF THIS TURNS OUT TO BE SOME SICK JOKE OR HE TURNS OUT TO BE A DEATH EATER, I WILL NOT BE SUBJECT TO THE PAIN IT WILL BRING. DO YOU EVEN KNOW HOW MUCH IT HURT ME THE FIRST TIME I LOST HARRY?!" Lily screamed, on the verge of hysteria. James hurriedly got out of his seat and ran forwards. Enveloping Lily in a hug, James murmured comforting things in her ear and rubbed her back. Lily sobbed loudly into James's chest and the occupants of the room shifted uncomfortably in their seats.  
  
"How can you lose someone twice?" a voice asked and the whole room jumped. Everybody turned to see two emerald eyes looking at them with curiousity and suspicion.  
  
~~*~~  
  
Harry shifted in his seat a little as a voice attacked his consciousness. "HE TURNS OUT TO BE A DEATH EATER, I WILL NOT BE SUBJECT TO THE PAIN IT WILL BRING. DO YOU EVEN KNOW HOW MUCH IT HURT ME THE FIRST TIME I LOST HARRY?!"  
  
Harry shifted a little more, frowning mentally. God, that sounded so much like his mother. That was when his world went crashing down around him.  
  
"Damn," he muttered and opened his eyes. In front of him, his mother was being cradled by his father. Sirius and Remus were torn between looking at the couple and Tom. Tom was still pale as a sheet and was staring out of the window. Dumbledore was looking at the couple in concern.  
  
"How can you lose someone twice?" Harry asked and watched as the room jump and turned towards him.  
  
~~*~~  
  
Tom's mind was in shock as he stared unseeingly into the window. Oh God, he had summoned a boy from another universe. A boy that seems to hate his guts and be especially afraid of Sirius being, well, alive.  
  
Damn! He thought furiously, his hand tightening on the arm of the chair until his knuckles turned white. Why the hell does he hate me?! Sure, I've brought his out of his universe, but why me?! He wasn't even supposed to now who I am!  
  
Wait, his mind reeled backwards. I'm bound. I'm bound to a boy! I'm gay?! I can't be. I am *not* gay! How the hell can that boy be my soul mate? I am not gay!  
  
Of course you're not gay, a comforting voice that sounded suspiciously like Remus said.  
  
The explain this! Tom shouted back mentally. The voice only shook his head sadly.  
  
He was woken out of his thoughts as the boy's voice sounded.  
  
"How can you lose someone twice?" the boy who claimed that he was Harry asked his green eyes peering out at all of them.  
  
~~*~~  
  
Harry waited impatiently as everybody stared at him.  
  
"Are you going to answer me or not?" he asked hotly. Tom averted his eyes. Remus and Sirius frowned. James and Lily just continued to stare at him. Dumbledore coughed and smiled comfortingly at him.  
  
"We'll you see Harry, if you turn out to not be Harry Potter, then it's like for your parents to lose you a second time," Dumbledore said kindly. Harry rolled his eyes, but remained silent, taking in everything he saw. His parents were sitting next to him, as real and as alive as him. His godfather and Remus were frowning at him and Tom Riddle was in between them, eyes staring unfocusedly into the window.  
  
Harry clutched at the arm of his chair. His grip was so hard and tight that his knuckles were turning white.  
  
"Harry?" Dumbledore asked questioningly. Harry blinked, as if just realising that he was literally boring holes into Tom's head with his glare, before loosening his death grip on the chair and directing his eyes to the floor again.  
  
He could've almost sworn that the chair groaned in relief underneath him.  
  
"Now Harry, I believe that you came from an alternative universe," Dumbledore began before being cut off by Harry's strangled choke.  
  
"What?!" he asked weakly. "Alternative universe?"  
  
"Yes," Dumbledore continued as if people popping in from other universes were a normal occurrence for him. "Because the spell Tom cast was so powerful and the Harry Potter died in this world, it pulled a Harry Potter form somewhere else. In this case, you."  
  
Harry's eyes had progressively grown wider and wider as Dumbledore continued to talk.  
  
Alternative universe? Bond? Spell? Dead? Harry's mind raced through the thoughts as he stared disbelievingly into the headmaster's face. No! I will not accept this! I am not bound to Tom Fucking Riddle!  
  
"No," he uttered the single word softly, but firmly. It echoed around the room and the occupants stared at him. Harry's eyes were cold and his tone was harsh, the denial clear.  
  
"I am not, will not be bound to a monster."  
  
The voice was flat, the tone final.  
  
Tom felt anger rise in his chest. What the hell had he done to be classified as a monster?! The boy didn't even know him and here he was, judging him.  
  
"Who the hell do you think you are?!" Tom demanded, face flushed with anger. "You don't even know me!"  
  
Harry sneered at him.  
  
"I don't need to know you to know that you're a monster!" Harry spat back at the other boy. Tom glared and would've jumped out of his chair and strangled Harry if it wasn't for the constricting hand of Remus's on his arm. Sirius looked just as bad. His glare was furious as he glared at Harry.  
  
"You're not Harry Potter. Harry Potter will never be so cruel or evil. He wouldn't judge before he knew anything. I don't know how your parents lived with you in your world. You're nothing like James or Lily. I bet they wished they never had you," Sirius lashed out, not caring for the consequences of his words.  
  
There was silence in the room for a long time after that. Sirius realised that he had gone too far, but was still too angry to think properly. Remus was looking disapprovingly at his mate. James and Lily were staring in shock at Sirius and Tom was smirking in victory. Dumbledore was looking worriedly at Harry.  
  
Harry, for his part, was shocked and hurt beyond anything else he had ever encountered. The one person he looked up to, the one person who loved him unconditionally was turning on him. The one person who he considered a father figure was defending Tom Riddle over him. He ignored the voice that told him that in this world things were different and Tom Riddle couldn't be as bad as Voldemort was in his world. He ignored the voice when it tried to tell him that Tom Riddle couldn't be his parent's murderer as he was but a child himself.  
  
The shutters came over his eyes and a mask slipped on. His mind was still fuzzy with shock and hurt and his actions and words were on autopilot.  
  
"You're right," Harry said simply, eyes blank and icy. There was another shocked silence as everybody turned towards him. The victorious smirk on Tom's face faded slowly. No one seemed able to tell the real feelings of the boy in front of them.  
  
"They couldn't stand me, maybe that's why they died," Harry snapped, eyes now angry as he glared at Sirius. "After all, I don't have my oh so very noble parents to compare myself to. Maybe that's why I turned out the way I am. How can I ever do anything my parents would be proud of me for?"  
  
The anger melted out of Sirius's eyes and his jaw had dropped open in shock. Remus looked at Harry with sad eyes and James and Lily were subdued, wondering how they had died in Harry's world.  
  
Remus nudged Sirius sharply and his glare told the black haired man to apologise immediately. After all, this was his godson.  
  
"Harry I," Sirius started, before Harry turned away from him.  
  
"Shut up Black," Harry snarled. "I don't need your apologies. I can so clearly see that you're not apologising because you want to, you're doing it because Lupin is forcing you to."  
  
Last names, his mind told him. Last names don't hurt as much as first names. With last names, I can push them away. They are nothing but strangers to me. Building a barrier around me is the best thing I need if I don't want to get hurt again. Last names.  
  
Sirius closed his mouth a snap. What was he supposed to do now? Remus was frowning slightly, wondering how the boy's attitude could change from cool to down right frozen in the space of a coupe of seconds.  
  
"Harry?" Dumbledore asked softly. Harry turned his gaze to him.  
  
"What?" he snapped, crossing his arms.  
  
"You must accept that you are bound to Tom Riddle," the old man continued. Harry growled.  
  
"No," he said simply. "I will not accept this. I will find a way back into my world where I will be able to live my life the way I want it."  
  
"I'm afraid that once you've seen the person you're bound to, you can never them. When the spell was cast, it created a sort of bond within both of you and you can't separate. Think of it this way. The bond is an elastic band. Quite useful Muggle inventions actually, but we're not here to talk about that. The further you go, the further the band is stretched. Stretched too far the band will snap and you will die."  
  
Harry glared at the ground again. How stupid could Riddle be to cast a binding spell?  
  
"The bond in formed out of your life force," Dumbledore concluded.  
  
Harry sighed softly and rubbed his eyes. All of a sudden, the proud and angry young man turned into a fatigued and confused teenager.  
  
"Bloody hell," Harry muttered. "How stupid do you have to be to cast a spell like this?"  
  
Tom glared at the other boy.  
  
"If Weasley hadn't challenged me then it wouldn't have happened," he snapped, his tone indicating that he hated the Weasley boy as much as the Weasley boy hated him. Harry blinked again. Weasley? Ron Weasley?  
  
"So I take it that you go around casting spells that your enemies hand you without checking them first?" Harry asked, his tone, scorning, mocking and sarcastic at the same time.  
  
Tom flushed pink, but continued to glare at Harry. Harry glared back equally hard.  
  
Both broke away their gazes when Dumbledore coughed in amusement.  
  
"Bastard," Tom muttered softly, earning a stern look from Remus.  
  
"Dickhead," Harry said under his breath ignoring Dumbledore's twinkling eyes. There was another awkward silence as Dumbledore refrained from laughing at the two boys' attitudes.  
  
"Now, Harry, I take it that you haven't completed your schooling in your world?" Dumbledore asked. Harry shook his head and continued to glare at the ground.  
  
"Excellent, you shall finish your schooling here," Dumbledore continued and Harry nodded stiffly, not really listening to what was being said.  
  
Another silence stretched throughout the room and Dumbledore looked deep in thought.  
  
"Headmaster, what do I do for books? And quills? And clothes?" Harry asked finally. "All my things are in my world." Dumbledore smiled at him.  
  
"All take care of," he answered and Harry nodded. "What house were you in your world Harry?"  
  
"Gryffindor," came the tense reply. Tom snorted and rolled his eyes.  
  
"Figures I'll be bound to a geeky Gryffindor," he muttered and was faced with a pair of blazing green eyes the next second.  
  
"And what are you? Slytherin? Suits an evil git like you," Harry snapped, momentarily forgetting about his vow to never people by what house they were in. Tom's greyish/greenish eyes blazed as well and the two teens were back to glaring at each other.  
  
Harry's concentration was broken when a small figure suddenly threw herself at him.  
  
"Oh Harry," Lily sobbed into his chest. "I've missed you so much." Harry was frozen in shock before snapping out of his reverie. He leaned into Lily's embrace for a second, enjoying the love of a mother before pushing her away from him. Ignoring her hurt look, Harry turned away from Lily.  
  
"No, you haven't," he said flatly. "I'm not your Harry and never will be. You don't even know me. I'm a complete stranger to you."  
  
Dumbledore looked sadly upon the mother and son. Harry was right of course. Lily Potter had never really gotten over her Harry's death. Now that she had a second chance with Harry, she was trying to make him into something he wasn't. She was trying to make this jaded Harry into her innocent five year old Harry.  
  
"I'm sorry," Harry said softly before turning away again. Dumbledore sighed and clapped his hands together, attracting everybody's attention.  
  
"It's late, time for everybody to go back to their quarters. I need to speak to Harry alone," Dumbledore said and everybody nodded. James shot Harry an unreadable look before supporting Lily out of the office. Sirius avoided looking at Harry and was out of the room as soon as possible. Tom glared once more at the teen before stalking out. Remus looked sadly at the boy.  
  
"It'll work out Harry," he said gently before walking out of the office. Harry stared after the werewolf in shock.  
  
"Now Harry, I will tell the school of who you really are and what you're doing here. They've seen so much already, there's really no use hiding it from them. Also I need to tell you about your history in this world," Dumbledore stated matter-of-factly and Harry nodded silently.  
  
"Harry in this world died when he was six years old. The Dark Lord had been gaining power and he seemed to have a grudge on James and Lily for some reason. Of course, when I learned of his identity, I realised why. Harry was out flying when the Dark Lord turned up at his house with some of his followers. Even at that young of an age, Harry had tremendous power and I think the Dark Lord wanted his parents to hand him over to him. Of course James and Lily refused. The Dark Lord couldn't have an almighty follower of Light alive, so he killed the Harry in this world that day. The Dark Lord jinxed Harry's broomstick and he fell. Harry broke his neck instantly. He died painlessly."  
  
Harry absorbed the information and nodded for the headmaster to go on.  
  
"Before Harry died, he let out all of his power and while it didn't kill the Dark Lord, it wounded him badly and he has been dormant until two years ago, when he seems to have recovered somewhat. Death Eater activities have started up again ever since last year and I fear that the wizarding world will have a war on its hands soon."  
  
Harry took one look and saw that Dumbledore looked older than his age. His shoulders were stooped and the lines on his face stood out.  
  
Great, Harry thought tiredly. Guess I'm famous here too.  
  
Sighing deeply, Dumbledore continued.  
  
"About two years after Harry died; James and Lily had another child. It was a little boy called Cameron Orion Potter. Another year after that, Lily had a daughter called Rose Margaret Potter. So you have, technically speaking, a brother and a sister."  
  
Harry looked into Dumbledore's smiling face and felt his eyebrow rise.  
  
"What is it with Evans and flower names for girls?" he asked and Dumbledore laughed merrily.  
  
"Sirius asked that once and got a black eye and a clipped "It's a girl thing" from Lily," Dumbledore informed Harry with a wicked light in his eyes. Harry felt himself smile.  
  
**Dumbledore's P.O.V. **  
  
The boy is but a child and yet he looks like he has the world's weight on his shoulders. His eyes show that he is far older and wiser than he really is. What has the boy been through for him to become so jaded? Yet, when he smiles, I can that there is still a child in him.  
  
**Normal P.O.V**  
  
"So am I - , I mean, is the Harry in this world famous?" Harry asked tenderly. Dumbledore looked at him and wondered whatever prompted him to ask such a question, unless.....  
  
"Yes, yes he is. He is known as The Boy Who Saved," Dumbledore answered and watched as the boy in front of him snorted.  
  
Boy Who Saved? God these names get cornier and cornier, Harry thought mockingly before asking the question he had been holding in for a long time.  
  
"Who, exactly, is the Dark Lord?" Harry asked and watched as Dumbledore sighed again. "Lucius Malfoy."  
  
~~*~~  
  
Ohhhh... and the tension runs high between Harry and the rest of the world. Sorry it took so long for it to be ready, but I had tests and so many assignments due and everything. Anyways, thanks for all the reviews and I would like to get a few things cleared up.  
  
1. Harry and Draco are not dating. Repeat Harry and Draco are NOT dating. They're just friends. The whole "puppy dog eye" thing will be explained in a future chapter. It's just some stupid, silly little thing I threw in for fun.  
  
2. Um, yes I realise that whist Harry is jaded and Tom seems like a carefree young teen, he really isn't that innocent. That will be cleared up as time goes on.  
  
Yes, I realise this chapter was kind of, well, boring, but the whole history of Harry had to come in somewhere.  
  
Thanks to those who reviewed! I love you all *throws flowers and confetti around* Oh great reviewers! I will give you a choice for something since I can't make up my mind.  
  
Do you want Tom and Harry to share a suite, room type of thing? Or should they just stay in their respectful house dormitories? Drop me a line and the majority wins!  
  
Love, S&p 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own Harry Potter. Sad isn't it?  
  
Chapter Two:  
  
"Who, exactly, is the Dark Lord?" Harry asked and watched as Dumbledore sighed again.  
  
"Lucius Malfoy."  
  
Shock.  
  
That was the first thing that ran through Harry's body. Lucius Malfoy? The Dark Lord? Does that mean Tom wasn't secretly some evil, scheming, little brat who was only using the schoolboy image as a disguise? Without knowing why, Harry felt just a little happier knowing that the seventeen-year-old Slytherin wasn't evil. Pushing that disturbing thought out of his mind, Harry turned back towards the headmaster.  
  
"What about Draco?" Harry asked wanting to know what happened to his friend in this universe.  
  
Dumbledore just looked puzzled, something that Harry had never seen on the old man's face before.  
  
"Draco? Who's that?"  
  
Harry was sent spiralling into surprise again. There was no Draco in this world?  
  
"Uh, Lucius Malfoy's child." Harry scratched his head and wondered if revealing he was buddy-buddy with the Dark Lord's spawn was a good idea in front of Dumbledore.  
  
"Oh, you must mean Isabelle Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy's daughter," Dumbledore said casually. Harry's eyes widened and started choking on what seemed like the air.  
  
"Daughter?" he asked in disbelief. Without warning, a bubble of laughter escaped his lips. "Draco's a girl?"  
  
Snorting softly, Harry controlled himself. Two seconds later he was sent back into laughter imagining Draco in hot pink dress and high heels.  
  
Dumbledore just watched this near hysterical display with a twinkle in his eye and a calm expression on his face.  
  
"Why the interest in Miss Malfoy?" Dumbledore enquired airily and watched with concealed surprise as the boy in front of him tensed.  
  
"No reason. Just curious," Harry answered stiffly, not really wanting to share his shit, sad life story with anyone. The last thing he needed was sympathy.  
  
Dumbledore seemed to understand and clapped his hands together again.  
  
"Well, it's late and I shouldn't keep a growing boy from his sleep. Off you go, I take it you know where the Gryffindor common room is?" Dumbledore asked and Harry nodded, standing up.  
  
"Your new belongings will be by your bed tomorrow morning," Dumbledore said and Harry nodded again before walking out of the office.  
  
~~*~~  
  
When Harry woke the next morning, the first thing he realised was the three towering figures looming over his bed. Cracking his eyes open, he fell out of bed with a shout of surprise when he saw Dean, Seamus and Neville stare at him with barely concealed shock and curiosity.  
  
"Urgh," Harry muttered, rubbing his sore backside. "What are you guys doing, looming over my bed like that? Do you want to give me a heart attack?"  
  
The three boys mumbled a quick apology, but still stared at him. Harry eyed them nervously.  
  
"Uh, guys? What's wrong?"  
  
"Who are you?" Neville asked suddenly as the other two nodded.  
  
Neville's never this outgoing, Harry thought. Oh, yeah. This isn't my universe.  
  
Groaning softly, Harry sank on to the bed as the memories from last night came crashing into his head.  
  
Spell.  
  
Alternate universe.  
  
Bonding.  
  
Death.  
  
Dark Lord  
  
Isabelle.  
  
Tom Fucking Riddle.  
  
How could he have forgotten?  
  
Maybe he just didn't want to remember.  
  
"So who are you?" Neville asked again, looking a little impatient. Harry was struck at how much he looked like Hermione when he did that.  
  
"Harry Potter," Harry said awkwardly. After all, he was introducing himself to people he already knew, but who didn't know him. Weird feeling.  
  
The three other occupants' eyes had widened and their jaws had dropped to the floor.  
  
"That's not possible. He died twelve years ago," Neville said in a perfect imitation of Hermione's 'I-know-I'm-right-and-you-know-I'm-right-so-why- argue-with-me?' tone of voice. Harry felt an eyebrow rise at the similarity, but said nothing.  
  
"You'll find out why at breakfast," Harry said before opening the trunk at the foot his bed and taking out clothes. Without saying anything else or giving the guys another chance to ask anything, he ran into the shower and closed the door.  
  
Sighing in relief, Harry leaned against the sink and turned the tap for the cold water. Splashing his face gratefully, Harry looked at his reflection in the mirror. A tanned face looked back at him. Black, messy hair flew in all directions, partially obscuring the bright, emerald eyes. High cheekbones that were a little on the thin side were tinted pink from the cold water.  
  
Sighing again, Harry brushed the hair out of his eyes and reached for his toothbrush. The movement froze halfway as the teenager stared at his reflection with something akin to shock. There was something wrong with his reflection.  
  
Harry's hand flew up to his forehead and he ran his fingers along the smooth skin there. Nothing, no mark, no abnormality, no scar, nothing.  
  
Where's my scar gone? Harry thought as he peered at himself. Urgh, I look so unfamiliar now.  
  
Feeling slightly disturbed, Harry flattened his hair over his unblemished forehead. As crazy as it sounds, Harry felt like he had lost a part of himself with the disappearance of the scar.  
  
~~*~~  
  
As Harry walked into the hall twenty minutes later, the first thing he noticed was the silence. The hall was never silent as far as he could remember. The second thing was all the pairs of eyes on him. Pausing for a minute at the eerie silence that enveloped the hall, Harry quickly averted his eyes to the ground and shuffled to the Gryffindor table.  
  
Buttering his toast, Harry was still aware of all the eyes on him. Was him buttering toast that interesting?  
  
"Your timetable Mr. Potter," a familiar voice said from behind him. Harry whipped around to see McGonagall standing there as alive as ever, holding out a piece of parchment.  
  
"Professor McGonagall?" Harry stammered in disbelief. The professor in question pursed her lips impatiently and thrust the paper into his hands.  
  
"Yes Mr. Potter. I expect to see you uphold the Gryffindor standard."  
  
Without another word McGonagall turned back and walked briskly to the head table.  
  
"Yeah and good morning to you too," Harry muttered under his breath. Hermione was right; Draco's sarcasm was rubbing off on him.  
  
Scanning his timetable quickly, Harry swallowed a groan. Great. Double potions. First thing in the morning. With Snape.  
  
Whilst his relationship with Snape had improved to the standard where the potions professor and him can have a conversation and enjoy each other's company occasionally thanks to Draco, Harry still dreaded potions. Frankly, when Snape was in scary-potion-master mode, he was as dangerous and about as fun as an enraged woman with PMS and a shotgun.  
  
Well, there goes his appetite.  
  
Putting down his toast, Harry wiped his hands on his robe before standing up. Immediately all eyes turned towards him again. Oh God, he was getting so sick of this.  
  
"What is so interesting about me that you all have to stare and point every time I breathe?!"  
  
The shouted question had been unexpected and the whole hall jumped. The boy they had been the centre of all the conversations was currently standing and glaring at the whole hall. His hands were clenched and by his side. His face was set in an unreadable mask and his tone was icy.  
  
For a few minutes nobody could make a sound. Everybody would've thought that that behaviour was only applicable to Slytherins, but apparently not. They had never seen a Gryffindor act so *cold* and Slyhterin-like before. It was unnerving really.  
  
"I am not something on display and I would appreciate it greatly if none of you treated me like one." With that, Harry turned abruptly and stormed out of the hall.  
  
God, he was so sick of this. Yes, he knew it wasn't their fault that his life turned out the way it did, but that didn't make him any less angry at them. The war against Voldmeort had been tiring enough and things were only starting to get better when he found himself transported to a whole new universe. All because Tom Riddle had to satisfy his stupid pride and prove himself to Ron Weasley. On top of that, he was *bonded* to his parents' murderer. No matter that in this universe his parents were alive, but it's the principle of the matter. His *real* parents had died at the hands of that monster and nothing anyone said or did was going to change his mind about Tom Riddle.  
  
And the staring and pointing. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Harry had undergone too many emotional changes and had too few opportunities to let his feelings out. When he had exploded inside the hall, it had all been an outlet for his frustrations and anger he had felt during the war.  
  
Life was so unfair sometimes.  
  
~~*~~  
  
I told you he wasn't a normal Gryffindor, a voice in Tom's brain pointed out. Tom had found from pasts experiences that this voice was *nasty*. It delighted in pointing out things that he had done wrong or thought wrong. It absolutely *loved* implying that he should talk to Harry because, after all, they were bonded. And what he hated the most was that, usually, the voice was right.  
  
He was right about the voice.  
  
Nasty.  
  
~~*~~  
  
Severus Snape, Potions Master, professor and head of Slytherin House at Hogwarts, watched the display from the Potter boy with interest and curiosity. To say that he and James Potter didn't get along was an understatement. They *loathed* each other and the whole school knew it. The several duels they had all ended with both stuck in the hospital with rather *painful* injuries.  
  
However, seeing a Potter act so..... *Slytherinish* was not an everyday sight. Despite the fact that the boy came from another universe, Severus didn't think that James and Lily Potter could differ too much from universe to universe. Their boy was another matter all together. Severus had noticed the sagging shoulders, the tired slump and the wary eyes. Not the way any seventeen-year old should look.  
  
Tucking the mystery of the strange boy from another universe for another day, Snape finished the last of his breakfast and prepared to face another torturous lesson of double potions with Slytherins and Gryffindors.  
  
~~*~~  
  
Stalking into the potion lab, with his robes billowing menacingly behind him, Snape smirked mentally as he saw that he had managed to make most of the Gyffindors jump. Then, the smirk turned into a frown as he saw the Potter boy sitting calmly in his seat, carefully taking out potion books, quills and parchment. Snape also noticed that he was all alone. All other Gryffindors seemed to be avoiding the table where Potter was sitting and occasionally whispered behind hands.  
  
Clearly his throat, Snape glared out at the Gryffindor half of the room. Turning to the Slyhterin half, his glare was turned down a notch as he surveyed the remaining Slytherins. He knew that Lucius had been and still is recruiting followers to be his Death Eaters.  
  
Banishing the thoughts of his once best friend out of his mind, Snape barked out instructions for the potion that was to be made that morning.  
  
~~*~~  
  
Harry crushed up his beetles' eyes carefully. Ever since he had been less hostile towards Draco Malfoy, the black haired boy had learned to appreciate the exact art of potion making. Whilst it was far from his favourite subject (or his best mind you), Harry wasn't as much of a failure at the class as he had been. Now he could brew most potions, if under the correct guidance, but the hard ones Harry just left well alone. Besides, he only brewed potions when he had to. Harry didn't want anybody suddenly sprouting green feathers and a beak because he put in a newt tongue instead of its eye.  
  
Adding the powder to the cauldron, Harry sighed inaudibly. God, he couldn't understand how the potion master could stand hunched over a bubbling cauldron for many hours and not be frozen in that position for the rest of his life.  
  
Harry was so immersed in his thoughts he never noticed the pairs of eyes that watched him.  
  
~~*~~  
  
Ron Weasley sneered as he watched Potter stir his potion. So the boy wasn't as incompetent as potions as most of his other housemates. He eyed the other boy and felt his sneer widen. He was sure his master would want to know of this development. After all, Lucius would want to know that the boy he had killed twelve years ago was back.  
  
~~*~~  
  
Tom watched the sneer on Ron Weasley's face with growing uneasiness. All of a sudden, he felt a protective feeling surge through him, wanting him to snap Weasley's neck if he as much as breathed on Harry.  
  
Blinking at the unfamiliar feeling, Tom turned back to his potion to discover that it was now an orangey colour instead of the proper green it should be. Before he could open his mouth, the mixture started to bubble and the next second exploded.  
  
~~*~~  
  
Harry dived under the table and withdrew his wand instinctively as the explosion echoed around the room. After a few seconds of silence, Harry stuck his head out from underneath the table to see the whole lab covered in a sticky orangey substance.  
  
Climbing out slowly, the teen saw that other students were also coming out of their respective hiding places. Eyes travelling around the room Harry froze as he saw the unmoving figure next to the remains of the destroyed cauldron. Stepping closer, Harry's eyes focused on the familiar figure of Tom Riddle.  
  
Suddenly, he was overcome with a feeling of fear for the wellbeing of the unconscious boy. Hurrying the rest of the way, Harry knelt next to Tom and turned him over gently  
  
No response and Harry exhaled loudly. His heart rate increased as he was seized by fear again.  
  
"Mr. Potter, please get out of my way," Snape demanded irritably. He was not happy to see the spawn of James Potter kneeling next his prize potions student.  
  
Harry froze for a second before shaking his head. What was he doing? Checking that Tom Riddle was alright? Without another word, he stood up and walked back to his desk, letting the potions master through.  
  
Damn the stupid bond.  
  
~~*~~  
  
Lunch was an uncomfortable experience for Harry. Although there had been times when people stared and whispered about him, it was never like this. Ever bite he took was watched on by the whole school. Every move he made was followed eagerly by the students in the hall. Now, he knew what it felt like to be in a zoo. Only, he'd have more privacy if he was an exhibit in the zoo. Also, the fact that he had checked whether the prince of Slytherin was alright in potions spread around the school like wildfire. Not really sure how much the school knew about his *relationship* with Tom Riddle, Harry decided the best thing was to wait it out. If Dumbledore had told the school of the bond, word would get back to him eventually.  
  
Cramming the last of his food into his mouth, Harry grabbed his bag and stood up, ignoring the hundreds of pairs of eyes that followed him. He had Care of Magical Creatures next and he was looking forward to seeing Hagrid again. He hadn't seen the big oaf, in his own world, for about half a year. He just hoped that the Hagrid in this world was the same as the Hagrid in his world. After all, he had had several nasty surprises during the morning already. It turned out that Ron Weasley was the Slytherin prefect. Acted like a git too. In fact, Harry thought with a wry smile, you could almost say that Ron Weasley acted Draco Malfoy.  
  
After getting over that little surprise, Harry trudged off to Charms with Hufflepuff. As soon as he had entered the classroom, his eyes were caught by one person and he almost had a heart attack there and then. Hermione Granger, the smartest person he knew, was in Hufflepuff. Hermione Granger and Hufflepuff do not belong in the same sentence.  
  
**Flashback**  
  
Harry trudged into the Charms classroom and looked around to see if everybody he knew was there. As his eyes swept around the room, they stopped on one person. Hermione?! In Hufflepuff?! What the hell?!  
  
Shuffling into the room in a state of shock, Harry sat down without really seeing who he sat next to. Turned out that he had plonked himself down next to Lavender. He glanced warily at the girl, only to find that she was looking back at him with a look of shock and .... what the hell? Admiration? Lust?  
  
Not really wanting to know what the emotion was, Harry cleared his throat and diverted his attention by taking out books out of his bag.  
  
"I hope you don't mind me sitting here," he said quietly, shifting uncomfortably under the scrutiny of Lavender.  
  
"Of course not Harry," Lavender said huskily and in what she hoped was a seductive voice. Harry shuddered inwardly and inched slowly and carefully away from the girl.  
  
"Er, thanks then," he said, trying to fill the silence.  
  
"Class pay attention!" Professor Flitwick called out and the class turned to watch the tiny teacher. Harry breathed an inaudibly sigh of relief.  
  
Note to self, never, *ever* sit next to Lavender again.  
  
**End of Flashback**  
  
Shuddering at the memory again, Harry looked over his shoulder just in case Lavender was following him or something. He was not used to the attention he was getting from the female population. And it was damn uncomfortable too. Lavender and Terry Boot were a couple in Harry's world and having Lavender come on to him was not good. Terry was his friend and it felt too much like betraying his trust. Besides, Harry didn't have such feelings towards Lavender. She was a friend and that was all.  
  
Stopping at the edge of the lake, Harry blocked out the sun's rays with his hand and looked out over the expanse of water. A soft breeze caused the surface of the lake to be filled with small ripples and the water sparkled under the light of the sun. It made Harry want to jump in and swim.  
  
And Harry probably would've of, if the weather wasn't freezing his ass off because of it being nearly winter and all. Sighing, Harry turned back and saw the rest of the seventh year Gryffindors head towards the gamekeeper's hut.  
  
Harry brushed his robes off and followed.  
  
~~*~~  
  
Arriving last, Harry purposely ignored the suggestive look on Lavender's face. Shifting over until he stood near Dean, Harry looked down at his shoes and avoided the gazes. Even the Slytherins couldn't help giving Harry a glance every few moments.  
  
"Good afternoon class," an educated voice rang out and Harry's head snapped up. In front of him stood Hagrid and not Hagrid at the same time. This Hagrid was still a half giant and he was still as big as ever. This Hagrid still had the same face as his Hagrid and same beard. Only now, his beard was trimmed and kept under control. His eyes shone with kindness and warmth, but also more intelligence than Harry was used to. His hair wasn't wild and was plaited neatly. His clothes were still animal skins, only now they actually resembled clothes.  
  
All in all, Hagrid was still Hagrid, only now he was a more educated, polite and intelligent Hagrid. Harry smiled softly, happy that his friend got what he deserved in one world at least.  
  
"You must be Harry Potter," Hagrid said, peering down at Harry. Harry nodded and smiled in return, quickly becoming comfortable in the other's presence.  
  
"Welcome to Care of Magical Creatures Harry. You'll need a partner. Oh here he comes," Hagrid said, looking over Harry's shoulder at the approaching person.  
  
"Tom Riddle, meet your new partner Harry Potter."  
  
~~*~~  
  
A/N: So sorry I haven't updated for so long. You can kill me if you want. *cowers underneath her bed* *peeks through her fingers to see readers sharpening knives and torture equipment* oh dear......  
  
Well here's the second chapter. *nervous laugh* Better late than never right? *readers glare* maybe not..... Um.... yeah. Enjoy.  
  
Oh and for the reviewer who asked, a beta reader is someone who proof reads the story first and edits it and changes any mistakes.  
  
Please review! I'll love you forever. Thanks for all the other reviews though! THANK YOU!!!!! Now please don't hurt me.... 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Harry Potter does not belong to me.  
  
Chapter 4  
  
"Tom Riddle, meet your new partner Harry Potter."  
  
The smile on Harry's face froze and slowly disappeared.  
  
"W-what?" he stammered, not sure if he heard correctly. Hagrid gave him a measured look.  
  
"Mr. Riddle, stop standing and trying to catch flies. Now come over here and meet your new partner," Hagrid ordered firmly, but kindly.  
  
"But professor," Tom protested, darting a quick glance to the other black haired boy who was currently burning a hole in the ground with his glare. "I-we-I can't. Potter-he's, I mean, he's in Gryffindor for Merlin's sake!"  
  
"Oh and working with you is going to be a stroll in the park for me too?" Harry asked sarcastically. Tom glared and Harry glared right back. The two shades of green eyes clashed and both looked away at the same time as they felt something pass between them.  
  
The large professor coughed and a stern look came over his face.  
  
"Please, gentlemen. Aren't you a little old for house prejudices? Mr. Riddle, you're the head boy for crying out loud. Mr. Potter, I heard that you too were the head boy in your world. I'm sure you two can approach this in a mature manner," Hagrid quickly injected, seeing the murderous look on both the teens' faces.  
  
Tom Riddle felt shock run through him. Harry Potter, head boy? Huh? That self-aloof, prejudiced, bastard of a human was head boy? What was the Dumbledore of his world thinking?  
  
Harry Potter meanwhile was feeling the same thing. Tom Riddle, head boy? What? How can that evil, manipulating git become head boy? What was the Dumbledore of this world thinking?  
  
"But Ha- I mean, professor," Harry started in a calm, soothing voice, suited exactly for getting what he wanted. He had learnt how to deal with unco-operative children when Hogwarts became a safe haven for all magic people in his world and knew exactly the tone of voice to use when he wanted the students to listen to him.  
  
"You really are making a big mistake. After all, Riddle here is in Slytherin and I'm in Gryffindor. Even without house prejudices, we're different people and we will *not* get along."  
  
Hagrid just looked amused and Harry got the distinct feeling that the professor knew exactly what he was trying to pull.  
  
"I'm sorry Mr. Potter, but this is Professor Dumbledore's orders. He wanted you two to work together. Said something about building friendships," Hagrid answered, eyes twinkling knowingly. Harry closed his mouth with a snap.  
  
Crap.  
  
What was he supposed to say now? Even in this world he could clearly see the devotion Hagrid had towards the old man.  
  
Double crap.  
  
Glancing over at Tom, Harry could see that the other teen was looking just as put out as he was feeling.  
  
Suddenly Harry smiled.  
  
It was not a nice smile. In fact, it looked rather evil to Tom's mind and he shivered unconsciously. He noted that he'd better watch out for Harry Potter in the future. Nobody smiled like that without something up their sleeves.  
  
Harry shuffled over to where Tom was standing. If Dumbledore insisted that he and the spawn of the devil worked together, he wouldn't argue. He'll just make Tom Riddle's life a living hell so that Dumbledore would have to separate them if he didn't want lives or sanity lost.  
  
~~*~~  
  
"POTTER!" Tom Riddle roared twenty minutes later. All heads snapped towards the two boys in time to see Harry leaning back on his heels and smirking whilst a disgusted Tom Riddle was furiously wiping his foot on the ground. Everybody could clearly see where the Slytherin was so angry.  
  
It seemed that Tom had stepped into a pile of dung that the creature they were studying that day had gracefully left for him.  
  
"Oops, sorry," Harry drawled, not sounding sorry at all. "Did I forget to mention that? It seemed that our r'higéria had a call of nature to answer while you went to get the food. I apologize for not mentioning it. I thought you would notice it."  
  
Tom Riddle clenched his jaw and glared at the smirking Gryffindor. Now he could see why he was James Potter's son and Sirius Black's godson. He fucking acted like a child when he damn well wanted to.  
  
"And pray tell," Tom began in a forcefully calm voice, which did nothing to hide the fury he was feeling. "How was I supposed to see the ground when the food I am carrying is twice as high as I am?"  
  
Harry shrugged nonchalantly.  
  
"That's not my problem. You refused my help."  
  
"You never offered to help."  
  
"And would you have accepted it if I had offered?"  
  
Tom clenched his jaw again. Damn the Potter brat two times. He was right and he knew it. He wouldn't have accepted his help if his life depended on it.  
  
"Exactly," Harry said as if the matter was cleared up. "Now don't dawdle and bring the food here. Can't you see that the r'higéria is getting impatient?"  
  
Harry laughed inwardly as he saw Tom's face flush with anger. He knew he was being a dickhead and he couldn't care less. After all, this was Tom Riddle he was talking about. Tom Riddle, the man who killed his parents.  
  
Well, technically speaking, he didn't, a nagging voice sounded in his head. The Tom Riddle that killed your parent you killed already. This Tom Riddle is just another seventeen year old boy. And you're being a jackass. Stop being so unreasonable and at least get to know him. He can't be that bad.  
  
Harry frowned and pushed the disturbing thought out of his mind.  
  
However the damage was done and Harry knew it. Every time he acted like a bastard to Tom, he knew a feeling of guilt would wash over him. Damn that voice. Why can't he just hate the other boy in peace?  
  
Because you're wrong about him and you know it.  
  
~~*~~  
  
Tom muttered darkly as he stalked back to the castle after the lesson ended. If he had looked back then he would have seen the remorseful look on Harry's face and the regret in his eyes that flashed for a second before it was squashed by Potter stubbornness (which Hermione often argues was just plain idiocy).  
  
~~*~~  
  
Harry trudged back to the castle, in the midst of cheers and congratulations by his peers.  
  
"Wow Harry, I'd never seen anyone get under Riddle's skin like you," Lavender said breathlessly. Harry smiled uneasily, craning his neck around looking for a way out.  
  
"Yeah that was totally cool," Seamus said in his thick Irish accent. Harry glanced at the red-headed boy and flashed him a genuine grin.  
  
"Thanks, though I think I over did it today," he admitted, trying to satisfy the nagging voice in the back of his mind.  
  
"Nah, he's a Slytherin," Dean answered with a grin. Harry grinned back but was troubled on the inside. Slytherins weren't that bad. He should know. After all, one of his closest (though not necessarily the nicest) friend was in Slytherin.  
  
"I had a friend," Harry said finally. "That would've made Slytherin proud. But we were still good friends."  
  
"Then he wasn't meant to be in Slytherin," Neville butted in. "Either that or he was putting on a face to fool you."  
  
Harry frowned and muttered a quick excuse before escaping.  
  
Even Ron had accepted his friendship to Draco in his world. Was Neville really that blinded by house prejudices to see what good friends Slytherins could be?  
  
Sighing Harry stepped into the warm hall of the castle. He had divination and he was not looking forward to the trek up to the tower classroom.  
  
~~*~~  
  
Grunting in disgust Harry quickly descended the ladder. It was good to know that at least one person hadn't changed in this world. Professor Trelawney was still as misty-eyed and incense driven as she was in his world.  
  
Walking briskly away Harry didn't notice the hand reaching for his shoulder until it actually landed on his shoulder. Twisting away from the painful grip, Harry grabbed the attacker's wrist in an unrelenting grip. During the war, he had learned some moves from a wizard that had stayed at the castle. Whilst it wasn't a black belt, it was better than nothing and had saved his life quite a few times in the skirmishes between the Light and the Dark side. It had also improved his reflexes and strength, making him stronger than he actually looked.  
  
He regained his balance and glared into the face of his assailant. He was faced with two surprised and angry blue eyes. In fact, they were exactly like the eyes of his father. Swearing harshly under his breath, Harry released the wrist. He knew that this strangely familiar boy in front of him was Cameron Potter, his brother.  
  
"What the hell did you do that for?" Harry snapped. Cameron glared back.  
  
"Who the hell do you think you are?" the younger boy hissed. "You made mum all upset and she's been crying every since you came back. All I ever hear is Harry James Potter and now that you're here, you can't even think of other people and their feelings. Why don't you go back to your world?"  
  
Harry gritted his teeth. He did not want to get into a fight with his brother, but his last statement had crossed the line.  
  
"Don't you think I want to? If I could I would be there already. But thanks to Tom Riddle I'm stuck here for the rest of my life. So I'm sorry that I made your mum all upset and everything, but what I said was the truth and if she can't accept it then it's not my fault."  
  
With that, Harry brushed past the shocked fifth year.  
  
"She's your mother too!" Cameron called out, seemingly unaware of the attention they had attracted from the other students. Harry paused and looked back.  
  
"When she treats me like me and not like the Harry she lost all those years ago you might be able to say that. But as long as she sees me as someone else, she's your mother and not mine."  
  
~~*~~  
  
Harry had lost his appetite. After his little confrontation with his brother, which by now, had spread all over the school, he felt sick. It wasn't fair how everything happened to him. Why can't fate or destiny or whatever just leave him the hell alone and let him live his own life?  
  
Abruptly, Harry stood up, startling several of the surrounding people. He felt trapped, like an animal, in the school. He had to get out. He had to fly  
  
Without another word, Harry ran from the hall and up to the Gryffindor common room, tears blurring his vision. He was so sick of his life.  
  
Refusing to let the tears fall, Harry leaned against a wall and took several deep breaths. Once he was sure he had his emotions under control, Harry walked calmly back up to his house dorm.  
  
Opening his trunk, Harry prayed to God that Dumbledore had thought to include a broomstick in his new belongings. Pushing articles of clothes out of the way, Harry beamed when he felt the handle of what was unmistakably a broom.  
  
"Oh Dumbledore, my new hero," Harry muttered gratefully and withdrew the broom. Looking at the handle he smiled when he realised that it was a Nimbus 2001. Whilst it was nothing like his Firebolt, it wasn't a bad broom either. Grasping the handle firmly Harry walked quickly out of his dormitory.  
  
~~*~~  
  
Ten minutes later, Harry soared up into the night sky, enjoying the cold night air on his face. Flying at a breakneck speed, Harry flattened himself against his new broom and tried to adjust to its speed and weight. After flying on his Firebolt for so long, adjusting to a new broom was harder than he thought.  
  
Letting his attention wander, Harry looked up into the night sky and watched the stars. It felt good to be able to fly again.  
  
His attention was caught, at that moment, by the faint sound of someone crying. Twisting on his broomstick, Harry could just make out a figure hunched up near in the shadow of the castle and obviously crying. Silently flying over, Harry felt his concern grow as he realised the figure was Hermione.  
  
Landing a few steps away, he smiled warmly as he saw her head snap up and her frightened eyes watching him warily.  
  
"Hello Hermione," Harry greeted softly and saw her tense up.  
  
"H-how do you know my name?" Hermione asked, not sure what the strange Gryffindor wanted.  
  
"You were my friend in my world," Harry explained walking until he stood next to her. Hermione relaxed and smiled back at him, her friendly nature showing through her eyes. Harry bobbed down to her level.  
  
"What's wrong?" Harry asked softly. Hermione looked away, fresh tears springing into her eyes.  
  
"Nothing," she said meekly. Harry sighed and smoothed her hair out. He didn't know what to say. She was so different from the Hermione in his world. The Hermione he knew would never cry in the dark like this. She would rather go and confront her problems than cry about them. She always told him that crying over problems did no good and he might as well go and solve them.  
  
Looking at this Hermione, Harry could clearly pick out the differences. This Hermione was not as strong as the other and she obviously lacked the freakish bookworm intelligence the other processed.  
  
"It's not nothing. If it was, you wouldn't be crying," Harry pointed out and Hermione sniffed softly.  
  
"It's Ronald Weasley," she admitted finally. Harry stiffened and froze. Ron Weasley? Ron would never hurt Hermione. Shaking himself out of his stupor, Harry grinned mirthlessly. Of course Ron could. After all, the red haired boy was in Slytherin in this world and Hermione was in Hufflepuff. He would be crazy to think that Slytherins didn't pick on the easy-going Hufflepuffs.  
  
"What did he do?" Harry asked gently. Without warning Hermione threw herself into his arms and started to bawl.  
  
"He's always picking on me," she sobbed into his chest. "And only me! He always takes points off me."  
  
Harry relaxed and almost smiled. So that was what all the fuss was about.  
  
"Hermione," Harry said soothingly. "Ron Weasley's a git and he always will be. He likes to pick on people and even though he picks on you, it doesn't mean it's your fault. He just puts others down to make himself feel more important. Do you understand me?"  
  
Hermione nodded and her sobbing slowly ceased. As if realising where she was, Hermione withdrew, her cheeks red.  
  
"Thanks for listening to me," she said and stood up. Harry scrambled up as well and smiled again.  
  
"No sweat," he said with a wink. "I can always find time to help a friend with their problems."  
  
Hermione blushed again as she heard herself being referred to as Harry's friend.  
  
"Well," Hermione started. "It's late and I still have homework to finish. Goodnight Harry."  
  
Harry waved his hand in response and watched silently as Hermione ran back to the castle. Still deep in thought, Harry bent down and scooped up his broomstick. Hermione was so different, but the more he had talked to her that night, the more similarities he had found. The Hermione in his world would have been this Hermione had she been sorted into Hufflepuff.  
  
Feeling quite elated that he had made his first real friend in this new world; Harry shouldered his broomstick and headed for his common room, intent on finishing his own pile of homework.  
  
~~*~~  
  
Lucius watched the fire burn in his fireplace. So Harry Potter was back? He snorted softly and swirled the glass of wine in his hand slowly, watching the liquid. He should've known that that Potter brat would somehow manage to thwart his plans, even from the grave.  
  
"Daddy?"  
  
Lucius was shaken out of his thoughts as Isabelle Malfoy knocked softly on the door and peeked inside. Lucius turned and smiled at his daughter.  
  
"What is it?" he asked as Isabelle stepped into the room.  
  
"Does Madame Haggins have to be my tutor? Why can't I go to Hogwarts?" Isabelle asked. Lucius sighed and set his glass down. He turned and gave his daughter a tired look.  
  
"Isabelle," he started. "You know the answer to that already. And we have been through all this already," he commented tiredly.  
  
Isabelle sighed as well.  
  
"I know, but Daddy I hate it here! I hate being cooped up all day! Why can't I go out?" Isabelle asked, knowing she was whining and not really caring. She had been trapped in the manor ever since she was fifteen and she longed for the outside world. Sure, she'd be able to fly whenever she wanted and go out occasionally, but it was not like the freedom she was used to.  
  
Lucius ran a hand through is hair and sighed again.  
  
"Isabelle you know exactly why!" he snapped, losing patience. Isabelle pursed her lips together and glared at her father.  
  
"I hate you," she said softly before turning and running out of the room.  
  
Lucius sank into his chair and covered his face with his hands. Some days he wondered if all this taking-over-the-world crap was worth the pain. Then he thought of his wife.  
  
Yes, it was. If only for revenge for Narcissa, it was definitely worth it.  
  
~~*~~  
  
Isabelle slammed the door to her room behind her and threw herself on to the bed. Burying her face into the fluffy pillows she took deep breaths trying to calm herself. She regretted her words to her father. She didn't hate him. She loved him, but in the heat of the moment, the words had slipped out without her knowing.  
  
However, she was sure about one thing. If she was going to be cooped up in the house for one more day, she was going to go crazy.  
  
It was official then. Isabelle Malfoy was going to run away.  
  
~~*~~  
  
Harry yawned and stretched the next morning as he sat up in his bed. Blinking the last remains of sleep from his eyes, Harry got out of bed slowly. Grabbing the robe from the ground where he had thrown it the night before, he raised it to his face and sniffed.  
  
Making a face, Harry held it at arms length. God, he felt sick.  
  
Rummaging around the pockets for anything that he didn't want washed by the house elves, Harry's hand closed around on a piece of parchment. Pulling it out, he was surprised to see that it was an assignment he had completed for DADA that year. It was, as Harry skimmed it, on the rise and fall of Voldemort.  
  
Oh yeah, now he remembered, Harry thought wryly, looking at the parchment. Their new professor had been so eager to learn about Voldemort's history that he hadn't even spared a thought to Harry's feelings on writing on the matter so soon after the battle.  
  
So, not wanting to make an enemy of the new professor, Harry had complied grudgingly and gave a vague outline on the rise and fall on Voldemort. It had brought back painful memories, but pain was something that Harry was used to.  
  
"What you doing Harry?" Seamus asked as he parted the hangings from his bed. Harry clutched the parchment tightly in his hands and hoped that Seamus hadn't seen it.  
  
"Uh, checking to see if I want anything washed by the house elves," Harry replied quickly, picking up random articles of clothing as if to prove his point. Seamus nodded and staggered into the shower, banging his knees on several pieces of furniture on the way. Harry smirked as he saw this. Looks like Seamus will never change.  
  
~~*~~  
  
As Harry sat down at the Gryffindor table, the tension was so thick in the air, everybody felt as if they could actually reach out and grab it. Harry avoided looking at his brother as he didn't want to start something in the hall.  
  
It was when he was stuffing the last of his toast in his mouth that Harry felt the presence behind him. His hand diving for his wand in such a manner that didn't attract attention, Harry turned slowly, ready to confront this presence. Gripping his wand tightly, the stunning curse was on his tongue, ready to be used at a moment's notice.  
  
However, all thoughts of cursing left his mind as Harry saw who was standing in front of him.  
  
Rose Margaret Potter.  
  
~~*~~  
  
A/N that wasn't such a long wait, was it? Mmm...... anyways, thanks for all the reviews! I love you all! 


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: New chapter! Enjoy!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter..... or at least I think I don't. mm...... *checks little black book* Nope! *disappointed look on face* I don't own Harry Potter.  
  
Chapter 5  
  
However, all thoughts of cursing left his mind as Harry saw who was standing in front of him. .  
  
Rose Margaret Potter. .  
  
Harry's mouth suddenly went dry. What was he supposed to say? Was his sister going to react to him in the same way that his brother did? What was he going to do? Should he sneer and act cold? Should he look away and pretend that he never saw her? His predicament was answered for him as his sister made the first move.  
  
"Hello," Rose said warmly, holding out a petit hand. "My name is Rose Potter, but judging by the look on your face I'd say you knew that already. If you didn't know, I'm your sister and I have been looking forward to meeting you as soon as I heard that you were here."  
  
Harry stared speechlessly at his younger sister. He wasShe strangely reminded him of Hermione by her introduction. He could see the self- assurance, the same book smartness that the Hermione of his world processed. In fact, Rose was exactly how Harry pictured his mother when she was young.  
  
"Er," Harry said finally, snapping out of his stupor. "My name's Harry, but you knew that. It's a pleasure to meet you,." Wwith that, Harry held out his hand with a little confusion. His brother hated his guts and his sister was treating him like a long lost friend. What was he supposed to do? And how the hell was he supposed to act?  
  
Taking Harry's silence as a symbol of welcome rather than confusion, Rose seated herself next to the stunned teenager and started a one-sided conversation likeas if they have been doing the same thing for years.  
  
"When Padfoot told me that I had a brother who had died, I was shocked. I mean mum and dad had never mentioned anything about another brother and to hear that I had one was a shock. Eventually I coaxed details about him, .er, I mean you, out of everybody. I was really sadIt saddened me that I never got a chance to know you. Even though I had known you for the first three years of my life, I still didn't remember any of it. . Cameron is a prat most of the time and the way everybody described you, well, it was like me, only a boy. Do you know what I mean?"  
  
Harry could only nod and make nonsensical sounds throughout the whole "conversation".." Shaking his head, Harry managed a weak grin at Rose's inquisitive look.  
  
"So, how were Cameron and I in your world?" Rose" Rose asked after a moment of silence when it became clear to her that Harry wasn'twas not going to talk.  
  
Harry blinked at the question.  
  
"Don't you know?" was the first thing that he blurted out. It was Rose's turn to blink.  
  
"Know? Know what?" Rose looked quite excited at the chance to learn something new. Harry hesitated slightly, wondering if he should tell her if she didn'tdid not know already. Well, it looked like he couldn'tcould not back out of it even if he wanted to. Rose was not going to let him just leave her in the dark like this. .  
  
"My parents died when I was one," Harry said after clearing his throat a few times and wondering how he should tell his sister. "I lived with...guardians ever since then."  
  
Harry did not want to tell his sister that he lived with their aunt. All it would bring would probably be pity and he had had enough of that to last a few lifetimes.  
  
Rose was speechless. She had absolutely no idea that she did not exist in the other world. She blinked once and Harry could almost see the gears turning in her head. Suddenly,, he was overcome with a feeling of foreboding overcame him. Whatever Rose was going to ask next, he doubted that he would answer.  
  
"Is that all that was different?" Rose" Rose asked excitedly, not seeming to mind that she hadn'thad not existed. "Was there any other major differences?"  
  
'Any other major differences?' Harry thought dryly,. 'wWhere do you want me to start. . This whole friggin' world is different from mine.'  
  
"No," he said calmly, hoping his sister wouldn'twould not see through his façade. "Well, of course there were a few differences since you weren't there and all, but they weren't that major."  
  
Harry knew that if he told the truth then all he would get was pity and sympathy and he didn'tdid not think he could stand it. All he wanted was to be relatively normal.  
  
Rose looked disappointed for a while before brightening up.  
  
"Was there anything you wanted to know about this world?" she asked buttering her toast slowly. Harry didn'tdid not hesitate.  
  
"What are Bla- I mean Sirius and Remus doing here? As well as your parents?" Harry" Harry asked, mentally kicking himself for calling his godfather by his last name in front of his sister. After all, he couldn'tcould not let her think that something was wrong and the only way to do that was to act like how he would if he was back in his world. That meant no calling anyone by their last names.  
  
Rose gave him a measured look, but let the last name comment slip.  
  
"Well, before the Dark Lord was....neutralised...neutralised for a while he attacked Hogwarts. Most of the professors were killeddied in the attack. Remus teaches DADA, mum teaches Charms and dad is the flying professorinstructor. Sirius works for the ministry, but he's on holiday at the moment."  
  
Harry nodded and tried not to let the ironic smile slide on to his lips. Sirius working for the ministry? What were the chances of that? ?  
  
The chatter was broken as the owls streamed into the hall. Harry glanced up and was saddened for a while. He did n't not have Hedwig anymore.  
  
He watched as a brown owl dropped off the Daily Prophet in front of Rose. Rose smiled and fed, what was obviously her owl, some bacon before it flew off. The paper was left untouched in front of her.  
  
"May I?" Harry asked softly, gesturing towards it. Rose nodded and returned to her conversation with her friend of the other side of her. Harry unrolled the paper and froze.  
  
On the front page was a snap shot of him as a baby. Quickly he scanned the article and nearly crushed it under his grip. He was not surprised when he read that it was written by Rita Skeeter wrote it. .  
  
Return of the Boy Who Saved  
  
Written by Rita Skeeter  
  
It has become clear that it in the last few days something strange was has been occurring in Hogwarts. What the actual occurrence wasWhat actually occurred reached this reporter's ears yesterday. It seems that the Boy Who Saved was somehow magically brought arrived here from another universe by a spell that Tom Riddle, current Hogwarts Head Boy, had cast.  
  
Whilst nobody is sure which spell it was, noror what it did or will do to the saviour, many, of the wizarding community, are just happy to have Harry James Potter back. Ever since his death (see page 6-8 for a full account)account), Harry Potter has become an icon in the wizarding world.  
  
Interviews were refused by Headmaster Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter's parents (Lily and James Potter), but from a private source from inside the school it is learnt that Harry Potter is currently undertaking his seventh year of education.  
  
Today, everybody in the wizarding world will be rejoicing the return of our saviour.  
  
Harry folded the paper up neatly to hide his shaking hands. Returning it back to his sister with a strained smile Harry pushed his chair back and hurried out of the hall.  
  
~~*~~  
  
Isabelle could barely contain her glee as she threw various articles of clothing into her bag. She was leaving!  
  
Dancing to a tune in her head, the blond swayed to and fro in her huge bedroom. She was no't going to be trapped in this manor anymore. She was finally going to see the outside world.  
  
Grabbing the key to her own vault her father had set up, Isabelle attached it to a chain hanging round her neck and nearly whooped with glee. Checking the clock on the wallwall, she could barely contain her smile.  
  
Only five hours, sixteen minutes and four seconds till she was free.  
  
~~*~~  
  
Lunch had barely started when Harry found himself "assaulted" by his sister once more. He watched with wide eyes and a hanging jaw as Rose withdrew a piece of parchment the length to rival that of the Great Wall of China. Rose cleared her throat and sent a beaming smile towards Harry.  
  
"There were a few questions I wanted to ask you," she explained, gesturing towards the parchment. Harry's eyes went wider, if that was possible and he found himself unable to talk.  
  
A *few* questions?!  
  
Several splutters and a glass of water from the concerned Rose later, Harry managed a weak nod.  
  
"Of course," Harry said as calmly as he could, eyeing the parchment with foreboding.  
  
"How did our parents die?" Rose asked in a perfectly normal voice, as if talking about their parents' death was an everyday occurrence for her.  
  
Harry "umm-ed" and "ahh-ed" for a couple of seconds before a brilliant idea came to him.  
  
"They died in a car crash," he blurted out, thanking his aunt for this lame, but plausible excuse.  
  
"Car crash?" Rose" Rose asked,asked, a confused expression on her face.  
  
"Yeah," Harry said, pleased with himself and taking a sip out of his goblet. . "You know a car? Broom broom? The muggle thing that takes people around?"  
  
Rose made an irritated noise in her throat and glared at Harry. .  
  
"Of course I know what a car is," she snapped, obviously offended that someone even *dared* to think that she did n'ot know something.  
  
Harry hid a grin as he hanged his head in what he hoped was a contrite manner.  
  
"But how can they die in a car crash?! They're wizards! What were they doing in a car anyway? Why didn't magic help them? You know as well as I do that magic can heal most things, so why didn't they get magical help?" Rose" Rose shot one question after another without pausing for breath.  
  
Harry paused and watched as his sister's face grew gradually redder. He wondered if he should stop her before she seriously hurt herself. HoweverHowever, Rose seemed to be out of questions, or more probably out of breath and waited as Harry answered.  
  
"Well," Harry started slowly, his brain frantically scrambling for ideas. "We were on our way to visit Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon and my parents wanted to drive there as not to cause any suspicions that they were magical. On the way therethere, a drunk driver ploughed into us. Our parents were killed on impact."  
  
OhOh, God please let her believe this, Harry begged to any god that was listening. Please, please, please. He was so busy praying that he didn'tdid not notice Rose send him an incredulous look.  
  
"Oh," Rose said after a moments pause. "That makes sense I suppose." Yeah, sense my arse. Mum always puts protection charms on us before we go anywhere. He'sHe is lying. I can tell he'she is lying and I'mI am going to find out why.  
  
A glint appeared in Rose's eyes. It was the same glint that made her friends shuffle slightly away from her. They knew that whenever Rose got that glint in her eye it meant trouble.  
  
Poor Harry on the other hand knew nothing of this and missed the glint entirely. He flashed a bright smile at Rose and Rose smiled indulgently back.  
  
Clearing her throat, Rose gave the parchment a once over and decided to ask the rest of the questions later. She also decided to ignore the obviously relieved look on Harry's face as he realised this.  
  
~~*~~  
  
Isabelle did another little jgig in the room she had hired at in Hogsmeade. . 'I am Free! ! Frrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!' lLaughing happily Isabelle threw on her cloak and stepped out on to the streets ready to shop around.  
  
ChoppingChomping delightedly on chocolate frogs, Isabelle looked up and caught a glance of the magnificent castle that was Hogwarts. She felt a pang inside her, but knew it would be foolish if she actually went to the school and enrolled or something. She wasn'twas not *that* stupid. Sighing and suddenly not hungry for the rest of the sweets in her arms, Isabelle trudged back to The Grinning Griffin Hostel - a "home away from home for backpackers travellers from around the world.".  
  
~~*~~  
  
Harry groaned and turned over in bed. BrieflyBriefly, he wondered what had woken him up on such a lovely Saturday as this.  
  
Another unidentifiable flying object hit his head and Harry remembered. He had been awakened from a blissfully dream-free sleep by one of those flying thingies. He growled softly. When he found out who threw those things at him he was going to strangle them with their own intestines.  
  
"Oi! HARRY!" an obviously Irish voice shouted in his ear. Harry yelped in pain and sat up, knocking his forehead against Seamus's. He watched with bitter satisfaction as the red haired boy howled and grabbed his head with both hands.  
  
'I hope that hurt! Harry' Harry thought rather savagely as he clutched at his head with his hands. Not only was his forehead throbbing, his ears were also ringing from the shout Seamus had graciously graced woke him up with att - what? Seven-thirty in the morning? Harry growled again. Seamus was so going to get it from him. Which teenage boy in their right minds would wake someone up at seven-thirty in the morning on a Saturday?  
  
Seamus glared balefully at the black haired boy who was currently glaring back and muttering curses under his breath. He leaned closer to hear what the other was cursing and withdrew a second later, his face red.  
  
"Cor," Seamus breathed in awe. . "Where'd you learn all those curses? They'll make an auror Auror go red, them"  
  
Harry muttered one last curse and gave his forehead one last rub, but neglected to tell Seamus that he had learnt them from aurors Aurors themselves and instead shrugged. .  
  
"Why'd you wake me up so early?" Harry asked, gazing at his bed with longing. .  
  
"Cause it's a Hogsmeades weekend you git," Seamus said good-naturedly. Harry's mouth dropped open in a perfect "o" shape.  
  
Climbing out of bed and stretching, Harry yawned and grabbed some random robe. Pulling it over his head, Harry forwent the shower since he was now late. Rummaging in his trunk, he triumphantly withdrew his money sack in which all his savings at Gringotts was situated. Of course, the money had to be shrunken for it to all fit into the leather pouch. Back in his world, nobody had the luxury of Gringotts once it was destroyed by Death Eaters. Everybody went around carrying their money in their pockets since money became scarce after the attack. Harry thanked all higher beings because, at least, now he had money to spend and mentally stuck his tongue out at Draco, who had only laughed at his actions after the war was over and Gringotts was reconstructed.  
  
~~*~~  
  
Ambling through Hogsmeade with the Gryffindor bunch, Harry looked around curiously, trying to pick out what was different and was the same.  
  
"Come on Harry," Neville said, tugging at his arm. "Let's go to The the Griffin and get a butterbeerButterbeer."  
  
"What about Thethe Three Broomsticks?" Harry" Harry asked having not yet seen the infamous pub. . Neville sent him a confused look. .  
  
"The Three Broomsticks? What's that?"  
  
Harry shook his head and waved his hand in a "doesn't matter" manner. Neville shrugged and they continued on their way towards a large brown building. Harry craned his neck upwards and saw many, many floors.  
  
"Why's it so large if it's only a pubWhy would a pub need to be so large?" Harry asked. . Lavender attached herself to him arm and batted her eyelashes. .  
  
"It's not only a pub Harry," she started in a sickeningly sweet voice. "It's an inn hostel for backpackers people from other wizarding communities of the world."  
  
Harry smiled uneasily and detached himself from Lavender as they entered the building. . Looking around, Harry was reminded of a muggle motel hotel with a lobby area to the right of him and a reception desk in front of him. . Suddenly he was yanked to a door on his left. Once the door opened, Harry grinned. The room was large and contained a bar area and maybe tables that littered the area. He wasIt fondly reminded him of The Three Broomsticks.  
  
Offering to get the drinks, Harry edged towards the bar and desperately tried to not have any drinks spilled on him. Reaching the bar and letting out a sigh of relief Harry ordered a sizable amount of Bbutterbeer and pointed to his table. The barkeeper nodded and Harry dreaded the trek back to the table. He feared he would not get out of this mob without losing a limb. A movement out of the corner of his eye caught Harry's attention. He turned his head and felt the room spin when he looked into a pair of familiar silver eyes.  
  
Draco?  
  
~~*~~  
  
Isabelle sipped her drink and watched as people entered and left the thriving pub. However, one person caught her eye immediately. He was devastatingly handsome with his black hair and greens eyes. She had no doubtdoubt who he was. Harry Potter. Her father's number one enemy. She smirked, a plan forming in her head. She supposed her father would be less inclined to kill her for running away if she brought Harry James Potter back with her, when she got enough of the outside world and wanted to go back that was.  
  
Pity, she thought. He would'vewould have been boyfriend material if he was n'ot who he was. She could tell that Harry would fit straight into the socialite, aristocratic crowd she was brought up in. He carried himself with a confidence and grace that only few people processed.  
  
She watched as he moved from his table and up to the bar to order the drinks for his table. Isabelle smiled as she saw dread flash across his face as he faced the crowd. Suddenly she didn'tdid not know what to do when the pair of brilliant green eyes turned and focused directly on her. She wasn'twas not prepared to face him so soon. Silently she stared and caught something akin to confusion and then elation passed through his eyes.  
  
This barely registered in her mind before she realised that he was walking towards her.  
  
~~*~~  
  
Draco stared open-mouthed at the place that Harry used to be. Walking forward slowly, he touched the table slowly, wondering if that weird golden light thing was going to happen again. His hands rested softly on the wood. Nothing happened.  
  
"Harry?" he called out and turned to see the sea of astonished faces watching him. What was happening? Where did Harry go? Was this a joke? Draco could hear the whispering of the hall. A second later Hermione ran up to where he was.  
  
"What happened?" she asked frantically. . Draco shrugged, at a loss of what to say for once.  
  
"He just disappeared with that gold light. You saw!" Draco said, casting his eyes around to hall expecting to see Harry bent over laughing in some shadow.  
  
"Come on out Harry!" Ron shouted, thinking the same thing as Draco. "It's not funny anymore. Ha ha, alright, the joke's on us. Come out now!"  
  
No laughter met their ears. No Harry did not bursting from any hiding place. In fact, , nothing happened at all.  
  
"He's gone," Draco said finally. .  
  
"Come on," Hermione said finally and firmly, hoping that Draco didn'tdid not see her shaking hands. "Let's go to the headmaster."  
  
Draco nodded and the two grabbbed Ron on the way before all trudged up to Dumbledore's office. .  
  
'Where are you Harry?' Tthought everyone present.  
  
~~*~~  
  
A/N: Thanks to all reviewers to my previous chapters! I love you all.  
  
Special thanks to RefelctionsOfReality, my beloved beta reader!  
  
Keep the reviews coming! 


	6. Chapter 6

thoughts….

Chapter 6

Dumbledore surveyed the three teenagers with stern eyes.

"Honestly professor," Hermione said earnestly. "It's true. I swear we're not lying. Harry just disappeared!"

Dumbledore exhaled painfully and sat heavily in his chair. What were the chances that Harry did not perish in battle, but instead of come unknown curse or spell that happened after the Great Battle? And after all danger of Voldemort was gone?

"Do you have any idea what the spell was?" Dumbledore asked. Hermione shook her head.

"All I know is that it made Harry disappear with a golden light," Hermione answered for the third time. Dumbledore looked thoughtful. It couldn't be? Could it? He'd have to check to make sure. However, if it was the spell he thought it was then Harry would be much happier where he was at the moment than he would ever be here with his friends.

"Hmm," Dumbledore mused whilst rubbing his jaw with his hand. "Alright, I'll see what I can find out. Why don't you three go back to bed and yes, I promise that as soon as I have found anything I'll get you."

The three teenagers looked like they were about to argue, but decided against it. They trudged out of the office looking dejected and worried about their friend.

Harry's brain worked overtime as he made his way slowly towards the blonde. There was only one family in the whole of the world that had such pale skin and those silver eyes. She was a Malfoy.

Getting to the table, Harry was suddenly struck with a case of speechlessness.

"Er," he said finally, clearing his throat uncomfortably. "Hi."

Isabelle could only stare. She didn't know what to say, didn't know what to do and she was pretty sure that she wasn't breathing at the moment.

"I'm Harry Potter," Harry introduced himself finally. Isabelle rolled her eyes without thinking.

"Well nah," she said sarcastically, her brain functioning automatically. She froze immediately after she said that. Greatshe thought sarcastically just make an enemy of the person you want to kidnap! LIKE HELLO, ISABELLE! DIDN'T YOU WANT TO KIDNAP THIS POOR BASTARD SO THAT YOUR FATHER WOULDN'T KILL YOU THE MOMENT HE SEES YOU?! GOD, I'M SUCH AN IDIOT!If Isabelle had been paying attention instead of shouting at herself she would've seen the smile that crossed Harry's feature.

Now this is the Malfoy I knowHarry thought with a smirk. He knew there was a sarcastic Slytherin under that mask Isabelle had on. Without another word, Harry plonked himself next to Isabelle and ignored her bugling eyes.

"So," Harry said finally, drawing the word out. "How come daddy let you out?"

Isabella opened her mouth, but no sound came out. No sound at all. How was she supposed to answer that? It wasn't like it was everyday that she just got out of bed and decided that she would disobey her father and just come roaming out into town. And it definitely wasn't everyday that somebody spoke of her father so casually. Harry raised an eyebrow and leaned back, waiting for her to reply.

"That is none of your business," Isabelle finally said, in an almost snapping tone. Harry was taken aback for a moment. Of coursehe thought finally with a wry grin. How could I be as stupid as to assume that Isabelle Malfoy would be exactly the same was Draco Malfoy? They're not even the same sex for God's sake!.

"I see," Harry said, not deterred at all. He had missed Draco's biting tine if truth be told and he sometimes, on very rare occasions, missed the bantering. "Well -"

"Harry?" the voice interrupted hesitantly. Harry looked up to see Neville standing over him with an uncertain look towards Isabelle.

Harry grinned and stood up before brushing his robes off.

"I'll see you later then Belle," Harry said casually before following Neville through the crowded bar. Isabelle could only stare as the young man walked away from her.

Well, Isabelle mused, that hadn't gone exactly as she planned. She was supposed to lure Harry Potter outside with her grand seduction powers and then snog him like crazy. After she'd had her fun with him, she would knock him over the head and wrap him up in a lovely green bow before setting off to see her father. Then everything will be nice and dandy. Harry Potter was not supposed to get the better of her nor was he supposed to even know who she was. And he definitely wasn't supposed to leave like that!

Resisting the urge to groan and bang her head on the table, Isabelle stood up and practically ran up to her room, feeling the eyes of one black haired teenager follow her movements.

"So, who was that?" Seamus asked with a knowing grin. Harry blinked owlishly and shook his head with a grin. Lavender, meanwhile, just fumed silently.

"It's not what you think Seamus," Harry replied in amusement. "She just reminded me of someone I knew before, in my world," Harry said finally. Seamus snorted dubiously, before brightening considerably as he saw the platter of butterbeer floating towards their table.

"Ah!" Dean said, rubbing his hands together. "Here comes the butterbeer."

Harry grinned just as enthusiastically and grabbed his mug.

The man crouched below the windowsill and fiddled with the object in his hand for a second. Cursing under his breath, the man shook the thing violently before a clicking noise sounded and a bright light went off. The man coughed and waved his hand in front of his face to disperse the blue smoke.

Peeking over the windowsill, he grinned wickedly before aiming the object towards a specific table and tapping it softly with his wand. The object was rotated and was continued to be tapped with the stick of wood.

Many flashes and bursts of smoke later, the man nodded in satisfaction and enclosed the object back into its case. The occupants of the table had just left and he wanted to make sure that he had the best position to well, not exactly ambush them, but to well, just to make sure he had the best position.

Harry laughed at the joke and opened the door to the Griffin. He hadn't taken two steps out of the building before a man jumped out of the shadows and clung to his arm tightly.

"Mr Potter!" the man shouted in urgency. The street fell silent and even some of the patrons inside the bar. Mr. Potter? Was this, oh my GOD! It was! This was Harry Potter.

"Mr. Potter!" the man continued to shout, not seeming to realise that Harry was standing right next to him and could hear everything perfectly fine. "How does it feel to be in a different universe!? What did the spell exactly do?! And is this your girlfriend?!"

Harry blinked in surprise.

"Er," he started, not sure what to say.

"Great!" the reporter carried on as if Harry had answered all his questions. "And how exactly did you meet this lovely young woman?! And how exactly did you two get together?!"

"We're not together!" Harry shouted in alarm, wondering what prompted the man to ask that question.

"Now don't be so modest!" the reporter replied with a hearty, and fake, chuckle.

"What is your lovely girlfriend's name?!"

Harry opened his mouth to again deny that Lavender was his girlfriend and would've if it wasn't for that moment that the reporter was knocked off his feet by an invisible force. Harry frowned and reached for his wand, realising something was wrong and would've succeeded if it wasn't at that moment that a hand reached out and grabbed his arm.

Harry's eyes widened as his body slammed against another, invisible body and a liquid like material was thrown over his head and shoulders, rendering his invisible to the naked eye.

Harry's face was squashed up against a chest and almost tripped over his own feet as the person wrapped an arm around his waist and practically dragged him along.

Harry mumbled something indistinguishable as he hurried along, his face now free from being compressed against someone's chest. Taking deep breaths, Harry tried to catch a glimpse of his rescuer, but couldn't see anything as a result of his glasses hanging off one ear. All he could see was a fuzzy blob where the head should be.

Two minutes later, the two stopped behind The Bookshelf – For All Your Booking Needs, and Harry's rescuer relinquished his hold around Harry's waist. Harry stepped away from the person and straightened his glasses.

"Thanks for that!" Harry said in relief, wiping his glasses on his sweater before putting them back on. However, there was no one in the alley. Harry looked from side to side and felt the air in front of him, but still nothing. The person had left already. If they hadn't, they Harry certainly couldn't see them considering they were under an invisibility cloak.

Really, Tom Riddle was not going to stand for this. He scowled slightly and leaned up against the wall of the Griffin. His eyes tracked the reporter as he continuously snapped pictures of what he was sure were Harry Potter. Not that he cared about the brat's privacy or anything.

Tom's scowl deepened as the door opened and the reporter ambushed Harry. His eyes flashed dangerously. Just where did this man think he was going to get off? He can't just harass people like this. They have a right to not have their private lives plastered over tomorrow's newspaper.

"And is this your girlfriend!?"

Tom Riddle was snapped out of his internal rambling as he heard this. Girlfriend? Who was it? Eyes narrowing, Tom fixated his gaze on Lavender Brown. The little tart didn't deserve Har – Potter, whatever.Tom thought. She just doesn't deserve him.

Tom's glare intensified as he realised that the reporter continued to badger Harry.

"Tom?"

Tom snapped out of his thoughts and turned to see Cameron watching him with a concerned, if somewhat amused expression. Cameron had worked out who Tom was staring at and why. Knowing all about the bond, the younger teenager thought it was hilariously funny to see the usual aloft Tom so worked up. Of course, Cameron had not forgotten his run in with his brother, and was still deeply irritated that Harry could be so cold.

"Give me your invisibility cloak," Tom said suddenly, holding out his hand, waiting the precious material. Cameron blinked and stared at Tom in confusion.

"What?" he asked, not sure if he heard correctly.

"Invisibility cloak. Now," Tom said shortly, eyeing the reporter evilly. Cameron opened his mouth and looked like he was about to protest, but one look from Tom silenced him.

Grunting in annoyance, Cameron handed the silver material over and Tom swung it over his shoulders and head.

"Don't lose it or I'll kill you!" Cameron shouted. "My dad doesn't know that I have it."

Receiving no answer, Cameron bit his lip uncertainly. Maybe he should just go and find a place to hide now. If his father found out that he had taken the invisibility cloak to Hogsmeade he was a dead man for sure.

Cameron sighed and stared at the ground glumly. The next second, a startled shout drew his attention and the teenager raised his head in time to see the reporter fall to the ground and Harry yanked forward.

And suddenly, Harry Potter disappeared.

Cameron sighed again and sat dejectedly on the ground, in the shadow of a nearby building. There was nothing to do but wait for Tom to return.

Harry scratched his head and walked out into the street again. Alright, so somebody with an invisibility cloak had saved him. He wondered who it could be. Maybe it was his sister, but if it was, she would've shown herself. Besides, Harry was entirely sure that whoever had helped him was a boy. After all, he had had his face plastered against their chest for a full ten seconds.

Maybe it was Cameron. Harry snorted at that idea. Yeah, right.

James Potter himself? Harry paused and pondered that for a moment. Surely not. Whoever had saved him had been tall and slim. As far as Harry knew, James was tall, but broad shouldered and slightly stocky. Nah, it couldn't have been James.

Harry shook his head and shrugged to himself. What does it matter anyway? Whoever had saved him hadn't wanted him to know their identity and Harry respected that. It wasn't like his father was the only person who owned an invisibility cloak.

"For all I know," Harry mused to himself. "He might not even have an invisibility cloak in this universe."

"Who're you talking to Harry?"

Harry jumped at the new voice and looked down to see his sister looking back up with a curious expression on her face.

"Nobody," Harry said, waving his hand in a dismissive manner. "nobody at all."

Rose just shrugged and hugged her parcel tighter.

"What do you have there?" Harry asked.

"Some owl food and a couple of books on Celtic wizards," Rose explained and Harry made a face behind her back. Rose really reminded him of Hermione sometimes.

"So," Rose said finally. "You excited?"

Harry paused and looked at her sister questioningly.

"About what?"

Her sister stopped and pinned the young man with a burning and incredulous gaze.

"You don't know?"

Harry shook his head. Know what?

Suddenly Harry was gripped with visions of the Triwizard tournament and shuddered slightly. He hoped not.

"Oh, well. Students are going to be coming from Archimedes' School for the Magical. It's a wizarding school in America. Didn't you have this in your universe? Exchange students every three years?"

Again Harry shook his head. Exchange students? America? What?

"Must've been boring. Anyway, five students of each year are going to come and five from each year in Hogwarts are going to go. The exchange program, of course, is to boost inter-school and international wizarding relationships. It helps the different wizarding communities stay in touch and socialise..."

Whatever Rose said after that sentence was lost on Harry. The black haired teenager was meanwhile trying to get his head around the fact that thirty five students were going to be in Hogwarts. Thirty five AMERICAN students.

CoolHarry thought. And then he wondered if Nicholas was going to be coming here. Nicholas Jaklin had been one of the very few people that the American ministry had sent to help with the Voldemort situation. Nicholas had only been seventeen when he arrived in England.

Now, why would Nicholas be here?Harry thought to himself a second later. He finished school while you were still in your sixth year. So unless he is a teacher, then say goodbye Potter, because you're probably never going to see him again.

Sighing in annoyance, Harry missed his sister's searching look. Nicholas had been a good friend and Harry was going to miss his companionship. With the thought of friends in his mind, Harry was suddenly struck with homesickness. He really missed his friends.

Happy mood disappearing, Harry sighed again and his shoulders slumped forward. He wished that this had never happened and that he was where he was supposed to be with his friends.

"Harry?"

Harry jerked and looked beside him in surprise. He had been so busy brooding that he hadn't realised that he had stopped in the middle of the street and had completely forgotten about his sister.

"Mmm?" he asked, starting to walk again.

"What were you thinking about? You looked sad," Rose stated. Reminded of what he was thinking about, Harry made a face.

"I was thinking about my home. And my friends," he answered quietly. The situation had finally caught up with him. He was never going to see his world or his friends again and he had no way to contact them to tell them that he was fine.

Blinking back tears that had suddenly appeared in his eyes, Harry tried to smile at Rose, but it turned out to be more of a grimace than anything.

"You really miss them don't you?" Rose asked quietly, sensing the melancholy mood from the older teenager. Harry bit his lip and nodded.

"They've been with me through everything little thing. They were there when I first came to Hogwarts. They were there when everything went to hell and they were there when Sirius di-"

Harry suddenly cut himself off, not able to speak anymore. The mere thoughts of Sirius made him want to curl up and cry.

Rose looked slightly put out that Harry hadn't finished what he was going to say, but didn't press it.

It was ten minutes later when Harry had accompanied Rose to Honeydukes that he was spotted by the Gryffindor boys.

"Where did you go Harry?"

"That was a cool trick!"

"Where'd you learn that?"

All the questions were shot towards the black haired teenager at once and Harry found himself cornered and head spinning. Which one was he supposed to answer first?

"Oh leave him alone!" Rose said sternly, hands on hips and looking every inch the bossy prefect that everybody knew she was going to be.

Harry smiled gratefully at her and edged away from the boys and towards the chocolate section.

He hadn't walked two steps when he suddenly came face-to-face with a white faced and obviously pissed off Tom Riddle. In the Head Boy's hand, he clutched a piece of old parchment.

Harry could only make out a few words, but it was enough to tell him why Tom Riddle was willingly seeking him out.

Scribbled across the top of the parchment and in what was obviously his writing, read the words "The Rise and Fall of Voldemort".

Harry realised that the robe he had thrown on in the morning was the robe that he must've jammed the assignment in before.

"Care to explain Potter?" Tom hissed, eyes narrowing even further.

Sorry for the long wait... hangs head in shame such a bad case of writer's block! Please... review! Thanks to all those who reviewed my last chapter!


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **I. Do. Not. Own. Harry. Potter.

_**A/N: **Sorry it's so late! winces Thanks to everyone that stuck with the story though! I appreciated every review and this one is for you guys out there! _

o--o

Scribbled across the parchment and in what was obviously his writing, read the words "The Rise and Fall of Voldemort".

Harry realized that the robe he had thrown on in the morning was the robe he must've jammed the assignment in before.

"Care to explain Potter?" Tom hissed, eyes narrowed even further.

o--o

**Chapter Seven**

Harry stared. Then blinked. And stared some more.

What was he supposed to do? It had -not- been on his to-do list for Riddle to find or even see the piece of parchment. _Actually_, Harry mused, _when exactly had I lost the assignment anyway? _

Briefly he entertained the idea of answering "no" and wondered how many limbs he would lose if he did. Judging by the look on Tom's face, losing limbs would be heaven compared to what the head boy would really put him through.

"Well?"

The biting tone sent a shiver down Harry's spine and he nearly flinched.

"Um," Harry stuttered, brain working overtime to come up with -any- excuse. "April Fools?"

Tom Riddle was not amused.

"What the hell do you mean by this? Me? Voldemort? Who's Voldemort? And what do you mean by the darkest wizard ever? If this is some sick joke then I'm not laughing."

Harry couldn't hold the flinch back this time. He was in trouble, verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry deep trouble if the Tom's glare had anything to go by.

"Hn, really?" Harry asked lightheartedly, trying to keep the nervousness out of his voice. "Well, personally, I thought it was hilarious."

_Uh, now might -not- be the time to provoke him Harry old chap_, Harry's mind told him. Harry wholeheartedly agreed. Taking one more look at Tom's furious face, Harry stammered out a mumbled excuse he wasn't sure Tom even caught before running out of there like hell was on his heels. Which, if you look at it, was true, if Tom's murderous intent was to be taken into account.

Which brings me to my next point.

If anyone was to look at the crowded street of Hogsmeade on the lovely Saturday afternoon (which many people were) they would've seen a black haired boy running down the street for what appeared to be an attempt to save his life from another black haired boy who was chasing him.

"POTTER!" Tom absolutely roared, drawing the attention of the few people who's attention weren't on them already. "GET BACK HERE!"

Harry didn't even bother answering the enraged shout. He was too busy trying to save his ass. Because, frankly, he liked his ass exactly where it was thank you very much and did not fancy the idea of Tom Riddle's foot coming anywhere near it in an attempt to kick him into oblivion.

With a rather scary animalistic growl, Tom, whose legs were longer than Harry's, leapt forward and caught the younger boy around the waist. Harry's eyes widened as all the air was squeezed out of his lungs and he tumbled forward to land face first on the grass. He groaned softly as Tom slammed into his back and further added to his airless lungs.

As random bystanders crowded around them, Harry tried to refocus his eyes and get his brain back in order. Feeling a little more than just -slightly- dazed, Harry grinned rather idiotically as he watched the world spin around him.

"Tell me Potter-," Tom all but demanded, flipping the other boy over and straddling Harry across his stomach, hands at his throat. "-just exactly what this means."

Harry squinted at the offensive parchment that was the cause of all the trouble before glancing up at Tom's face and immediately wished he hadn't. It turns out that Tom wasn't as far away from his face as he thought and glancing up only helped close the distance. Noses now nearly touching, Harry could say nothing as the words dried up in this throat.

Harry stared into Tom's eyes and sudden unwanted thoughts invaded his mind, like, just how handsome Tom really was. Swallowing audibly, Harry forcibly broke eye contact and that's when he got the shock of his life.

Forming a circle around the pair were people of all ages and most of them (those of old enough anyway) were staring at the pair on the ground in a way can only be described as leering.

Harry really didn't know how to act. He was being straddled by Tom Riddle (which, he thought grudgingly, wasn't such a bad feeling after all) in the middle of Hogsmeade, being leered at by various adults and students.

Okaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay......

With a yelp, Harry suddenly realized the position Tom and him were in and what it must look like to others who were leering.... er, I mean watching.

Shoving the other boy off of him, Harry wondered just how red his cheeks were.

Rubbing his bottom, Tom groaned softly in pain.

"What was that for you moron?" he demanded, his brain not seeming to make the connection between the leers and their previous position.

"Shut up!" Harry hissed. "You didn't need to tackle me like that in public. What are people going to think?"

"Well how did you expect me to react after I saw this?!" Tom retorted, waving the parchment around, -still- not making the connection. Briefly Harry wondered how thick Tom was. "You're lucky I only tackled you! If we weren't in public I would've probably mauled you or something!"

Harry's eyes widened as he saw the beginning signs of drool on the corners of someone of the watchers' mouths. He did -not- want to know how they took what Tom said and twisted it to fit their perverted image of the two.

"You idiot!" Harry shouted, whacking Tom on the head, willing him to just shut up. The situation was already messy enough without Tom adding his comments to the problem. Now everybody probably thought they were dating because Harry sent Tom a love letter or something. "You're making it worse!"

"I'm making it worse?! You're the one that wrote this blasted thing! How did you expect me to act? I couldn't just sit back and do nothing. I had to do some-"

Tom all of a sudden found his words muffled as Harry slapped a hand across his lips.

"Just. Shut. The. Fuck. Up." Harry ordered dangerously, eyes flickering nervously to the crowd.

Tom, miraculously, did as he was told, and stopped talking. Harry let his hand drop and instead gripped the older boy's arm firmly. Without another word, Harry dragged the other with him as he hurried through the crowds.

Not stopping until he reached the shadowed alley behind a building, Harry released the other and turned angrily to face Tom.

"Are you crazy?! What were you thinking?! Do you...."

Tom stared at the furious Gryffindor. _Aren't I the one that's meant to be angry?_ He thought dazedly, watching in silence as the other boy ranted on and on about something.

"...and now they all probably think we're lovers or something! Do you-"

"What?!" Tom yelped, brain only registering what Harry had said. Harry paused mid-sentence to send Tom another glare. "What do you mean lovers?"

Harry made an irritated noise in the back of his throat before massaging his temples. _Why am I stuck with such an idiot? _

"Were you even listening to what I was just saying?" Harry asked calmly, mentally killing Tom in the most painful ways he could think of.

"Er," Tom said awkwardly, resisting the urge to squirm under the bright green gaze.

"Just shut up and listen."

Tom bristled at the bossy tone, but before he could retort, he received another venomous glare and decided, for his health, to keep his mouth shut this once.

"Because of you everybody thinks that we're dating or something. Now, we're going to go back to school and tell everybody that we're -not- together and will -never- be together. Got that?"

Tom raised a skeptic eyebrow.

"Why would everyone think we're dating Potter?"

Harry closed his eyes and told himself to count to ten.

_Killing Riddle will achieve nothing. Although I will probably be driven insane in the next two seconds, killing him Will. Achieve. NOTHING. I must resist temptation to skin Riddle alive. I. Must. Not. Give. Into. Temptation. I do not want to hurt that brainless idiot. _

Harry tried very hard to believe it. Really, he did. But in the end, even someone with the control of Harry couldn't keep the murderous gleam out of his eye and couldn't stop the twitching of the vein.

"Because you jumped me in front of all those people!"

Tom eyed the person in front of him wearily. It did not take a genius to figure out that Harry was on the edge of losing control. His eyes and eerily calm breathing made Tom want to take a step back and reach for his wand. He wondered what would be the least obvious way to withdraw his wand and -not- get himself maimed in the process.

Hand inching for the instrument that may well save his life in the next few moments, Tom tried to look as indignant as possible.

"I did not jump you! All I did was, um, cease your rapid, er, movements down the street. It's not like I held you up against a wall and snogged you or something."

"Not that part! What happened afterwards you moron!?"

Tom had never been called a moron before, and frankly, he didn't like it. Frowning at Harry, Tom sighed irritably.

"I tackled you. I flipped you over. I straddled....oh."

Trailing off, Tom suddenly realized where his mistake was. And exactly why Harry looked so murderous right now.

Gulping, Tom backed away.

"Look, I'm sorry okay? I didn't mean for that to happen or for it to look that way. But the whole parchment thing.... Hey! The parchment! Why did you write all that crap on the parchment?"

Harry paused in his advance towards Tom and wondered exactly how he was going to get out of this mess. Somehow "Don't try to change the subject!" didn't sound as flashy or as believable as he liked.

"Well," Harry said slowly, trying to buy time and wondered how the tables had turned so fast. Now it was Tom who was looking murderous and Harry who was glancing nervously around him as if searching for an escape route.

"Yes?"

Harry fought down the urge to giggle nervously. It would -not- do for him to act crazy at this moment. Not with Tom Riddle looking like he was capable of a very -painful- murder.

As if realizing that he was now with a very angry Tom Riddle in a very secluded place and so very trapped between the other teenager and the wall of building, Harry came to the brilliant observation that he may well end up dead soon. Such a smart boy, our Harry.

"Are you going to tell me or do I have to force it out of you?" Tom hissed, eyes narrowed once again. He could feel a migraine coming on. He was always getting migraines around Harry Potter these days it seemed.

"Well, you see, it's actually rather complicated and well, not so easy to explain and, really, you'd be bored by the explanation, so, uh, why-"

"Tom! There you are! You know, I heard the funniest thing just then. People were saying that you were straddling Harry on the grass and... uh, am I interrupting something?"

Both of the said teens turned around to see Cameron standing at the opening of the alley, squirming and looking uncomfortable. He was shifting from foot to foot and wouldn't meet their eyes.

Harry took this chance to push past Tom and hurry towards where his brother was.

"Don't forget what we talked about Riddle!"

With that, Harry sent a warning glare back at Tom before disappearing past Cameron and into the busy town.

Tom was left gaping after him, the parchment still clutched loosely in his hands.

"So, I, uh, guess you guys are together now?" Cameron asked tentatively and took a small step in surprise when Tom growled audibly.

"Hell NO!"

o--o

Harry ignored the glances his way as he made his way down to dinner.

Nope. He couldn't see the speculative looks, nor hear the sniggers or remarks as he walked past students.

Harry was hurrying past the library when a conversation made him slow and listen.

"...going out with Tom Riddle!" Voice number one told somebody excitedly.

"How lucky!" Voice number two was obviously envious.

"It's too bad that they're going out together. They're both so hot!" Voice number three said dreamily.

Harry suddenly had a bad feeling on what (or who) this conversation was about. Turning on his heel, the young man was just about to leave when he froze in his tracks.

"Oh my God!" Voice number one burst, as if she had just seen "The Light". "They're going to be together!"

"So?" Voice number two was confused. She didn't understand why her friend was so excited.

"As if together together. Two frickin' hot boys, together. As in _ TOGETHER!_ Snogging and everything!" Voice number one was approaching the sound barrier with the pitch of her voice.

Silence.

Harry twitched dangerously.

"That's disturbing." Voice number two said, a strange note in her voice.

Harry wholeheartedly agreed.

Silence reigned again.

"Do you think we can watch?" Voice number three finally asked.

At which precise moment, Harry fled.

Pale and more than slightly shaken over what he had heard, Harry walked dazedly into the hall and didn't notice the sudden silence.

Sliding himself into a chair, Harry shakily picked up a fork and tried to eat.

"Hey Harry."

Harry looked up and smiled (grimaced, actually) at his sister.

"Rose."

"So...."

Harry tensed at his sister's tone and hoped to God that his sister didn't think that Riddle and him were going out as well. Since Rose was such an intelligent human being, Harry was sure that she wouldn't jump to conclusions and think that! Rose wasn't that sort of person! She would think everything through and balance the facts before making -

"You and Tom finally got together huh?"

- her decision.

Harry had the sudden and unquenchable urge to bash his head against the table. He would have too if it wasn't for the appearance of the last person he wanted to see on Earth.

"Potter."

"Fuck off Riddle."

Fierce mutterings flared up and down the table at Harry's rude and cold greeting towards his "boyfriend".

"Lover's spat..."

"..so sad. I hope they get back together soon..."

"I wonder what happened...."

"...I didn't know Riddle was gay..."

"...had the hunch Riddle wasn't exactly the straightest broom in the closest in the room if you know what I mean..."

"...at his hair. Who keeps his hair so long if he wasn't gay?"

"...keeps himself so well groomed..."

"...good couple..."

"...knew he swung _that_ way, I would've asked first..."

Harry gritted his teeth as he heard the mutterings and took slight satisfaction in the fact that Riddle seemed to be just as pissed off (if not more) than he was and was currently scowling at everybody in sight.

"I need to talk to you Potter," Tom ground out from between his teeth, looking as if every word was causing him immense pain.

_Hope that hurts you bastard!_ Harry thought rather sadistically, stubborn in his attempt to pin all the troubles on Tom Riddle (seeing as it _ was _Riddle who pinned him to the ground).

"No. Now fuck off."

"Harry!" Rose admonished sternly, eyes disapproving. Harry pouted slightly and rephrased his sentence so that it contained no profanity.

"No. Now _go away!_"

"_Harry!_" Rose rebuked again and Harry's brow furrowed.

"I said it without swearing! What more do you want?" Harry, as it was clear, was in no mood to be polite.

"Not that! Don't be so rude. Go talk to Tom," Rose ordered. Harry's jaw dropped.

"You're taking his side?"

"I'm not taking sides. Now go talk to your boyfriend and get this hitch worked out!"

Harry could not speak. All he could do was splutter. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Tom smirk. Snapping his mouth shut, Harry glared threateningly at the other boy.

"I don't want to speak to you! Now leave!"

Tom scowled and leaned forward until his face was centimeters away from Harry's.

The whole hall watched with bated breath. Several girls fainted due to the over working of their brain in coming up with rather, er, interesting positions that the boys could be in.

Most of them contained chains, leather and whipped cream.

Harry and Tom would have a heart attack if they knew what some of the female (and male) population were thinking.

"Now, if you don't come out Potter, I will kiss you here, in front of the whole hall," Tom hissed quietly, making sure only Harry heard.

Harry glared back, eyes daring the other to make one move.

"You wouldn't dare."

"Last chance Potter. Come with me now or suffer."

"Bite me Riddle."

Which is precisely when Harry found a pair of soft kips suddenly pressed up against his own. The said teenager was so shocked that he could do nothing until Tom pulled back and smirked down at the younger boy.

The hall burst into a flurry of movement and noise.

Several more people had joined the group of unconscious people on the floor. Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling madly, somehow managing to hear what had transpired between the two boys, even though he was sitting more than half a hall away. Lily and James were staring in utter shock at the pair and Sirius and Remus were smiling knowingly at each other. Snape just scowled, not seeing what the big fuss was about.

Harry jumped from his seat and lunged at Tom, eyes glowing with anger. Tom's eyes widened and he barely managed to dodge the attack.

"YOU'RE A DEAD MAN RIDDLE!"

The hall quietened as the student body, turned as one, to see Harry run after Tom as the Head Boy ran for his life.

It was a few minutes after the hall doors banged to a close after the two boys that the chatter began again. And all were discussing the exciting events that had taken place that night.

o--o

"Fuck you Riddle!" Harry panted as he leaned up against the wall and gasped for breath. The other boy wasn't looking so much better and was resting a few metres up the corridor.

The two had been running for half an hour (mainly consisting of Harry chasing Tom), neither willing to stop and call a truce.

"Yeah, well, it didn't have to come to that if you'd come with me in the first place!" Tom retorted.

Harry scowled darkly.

"I have nothing to say to you."

"I have things I want to say to you right now! Several in fact. And none of them flattering, but, unlike you, I have more class."

"...fuck you!" Came the slightly delayed response as Harry deciphered the meaning of the sentence in his head.

Tom just snorted and rolled his eyes.

"What did you want?" Harry asked tiredly, mind refusing to stray to the "UNSPEAKABLE" event, capital letters and all.

"You haven't answered my question."

"What question?" Harry was confused. What was Riddle going on about?

"What is this piece of parchment about?"

Harry's eyes flew up, landed on the assignment and groaned.

"I told you, it was nothing. Just a joke!"

"No it wasn't! Now tell me!" Tom demanded, looking like he was at his wits end. Harry didn't give a rat's ass either way.

"Nothing. If that's all you wanted to ask, then I'm leaving. I'm still hungry."

Turning around, Harry hadn't taken two steps when he suddenly found himself pinned up against the wall, faced with a furious Tom Riddle.

No words were said.

The two just stared at each other, trying to see whose stubbornness was more, well, stubborn and whose anger was worse.

Something passed through them and both suddenly found themselves unable to speak.

They were at a loss for words.

And even if they had been capable of forming coherent sounding sentences, none of them could've talked.

Nor would the sentence be heard as Tom had promptly leaned down and kissed Harry hard.

Harry's eyes widened and he gasped, mind freezing completely and shutting down.

Harry was left, on his own, without his mind, to deal with the lips of Tom Riddle.

It was a lost battle from the beginning.

Harry, fighting desperately against the strange, new feeling welling up in his chest, struggled futilely (and not too hard) against Tom.

The bugger didn't budge and continued to assault Harry's mouth with his own.

Harry sighed once and gave in to the bond.

It wasn't like he was putting up much of a fight anyway.

It seemed like eternity when the two finally separated and both stared at each other for a full five minutes before the implications of what the two had just done hit them.

They sprang apart from each other like startled rabbits a second later.

o--o

**A/N #2:** Thanks to everyone that reviewed! I will try to get the next chapter out, but I am really stuck on ideas. I really don't know which way to take this story, so if any of you have any ideas, I will be eternally grateful!

Finally, some Harry and Tom and action. sees looks on readers' faces and holds up hands I know, I know. You were all wondering whether this was a slash story didn't you? Well, it is going to be a slash story, but not graphic. At all. I can't write graphical stories. turns red

So... yeah...

Thanks to those who reviewed chapter 6!

_**Demented Chook**_

_**Aquarius Star**_

_**Malfunction**_

_**Reality is Relative**_

_**Crystal Moon Dragon**_

_**dragonrider of pern**_

_**texasjeanette**_

_**Lazuline**_

_**Marller**_

_**Wanamaker**_

_**Ann**_

To the rest.... please review!


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